Another year saw higher numbers attend the unsanctioned Ezra Avenue St. Patrick’s Day party.
Regional police estimate that 33,000 people were on the street at the party’s peak, noting that this number does not account for the entire day’s traffic.
That’s up from about 22,000 at the peak of last year’s party. Another street over, police had to close Bricker Avenue for the first time.
“Each year we remain concerned for public safety, but this year the density of the crowd was more significant than ever and causes us even greater concern,” Police Chief Bryan Larkin was quoted as saying in a press release.
Charges laid were up only slightly year-over-year, with 514 charges in 2019 compared to 495 the year before.
According to the release, paramedic services saw an increase in demand through the event, with a total of 80 calls and 52 patient transports carried out. Altogether, 11 additional paramedic crews were designated to the area.
“The volume of patients and transports put significant pressure on our resources, as well as our local hospitals,” said Chief of Paramedic Services Stephen Van Valkenburg in the release.
By-law enforcement laid a total of 25 charges and gave out 700 parking and traffic fines. A total of 35 vehicles were towed in connection to the event.
Wilfrid Laurier’s police service issued 127 charges, while the University of Waterloo’s issued nine alcohol-related tickets.
