Unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day parties in the university area cost the city and its partners nearly three quarters of a million dollars this year.
The city, regional police, regional paramedics and the Waterloo's universities spent a combined $767,211 to plan and manage the event.
Here’s where the money came from:
- Wilfrid Laurier University: $295,311
- Waterloo Regional Police Service: $286,000
- City of Waterloo: $90,500
- Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services: $85,000
- University of Waterloo: $10,000
That’s about $50,000 more than it cost the year before. The unsanctioned events this year saw peak attendance numbers, calls for services and charges.
“This is money that could be better used to meet other community needs,” says Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky. He calls the costs of the parties “unsustainable.”
Meanwhile, Police Chief Bryan Larkin says regional police may consider a new approach in light of changes of the province's liquor laws.
“I also think as the province looks at changing the Liquor License Act and allowing municipalities the ability to license certain areas, that may change our focus and it may change our ability to manage the event,” he says.
Larkin says the events are centred around parties and present an opportunity for police to handle them differently.
Various community partners have teamed up to create a task force aimed at ending these gatherings.
Their goal is to prevent them completely in five years, while reducing numbers in the meantime.
