KITCHENER -- “We are proud, we are grateful.”
That’s the message from Police Chief Bryan Larkin as it became clear that this year’s St. Patrick’s Day party on Ezra Avenue wouldn’t be like the last.
In 2019 approximately 33,000 students attended the unsanctioned street party, the highest in its history.
Ezra Avenue looked a lot different on Tuesday.
Festivities typically start early but by 11 a.m. the number of police officers on the street outnumbered the number of party-goers.
And it stayed that way throughout the day.
It seems the COVID-19 pandemic, a state of emergency and weeks of pleading had an effect on students.
For weeks a public safety campaign tried to discourage people from participating in the unsanctioned event. As the day drew nearer those messages became more insistent as authorities pleaded with students to stay away not just for their own health but for everyone in the community.
Big signs were set up warning people not to take part, with one reading “State of Emergency Declared” and another “Public Gathering Banned.”
Some students stopped by Ezra Avenue and expressed their disappointment that this year’s festivities didn’t happen.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t be cancelled,” said Wilfrid Laurier University student Chris Keating. “Sucks not having the atmosphere here of everyone getting drunk.”
He said smaller St. Patrick’s Day parties were being held indoors.
“Something low key,” said Keating. “Obviously not having 30,000 people.”
But that’s exactly what police, public health and officials were hoping would happen.
“I am very pleased and proud that students did the right thing,” said Waterloo mayor Dave Jaworsky. “Our students are smart people. They have clearly taken the threat of the dangerous potential spread of COVID-19 seriously.”
Larkin echoed those sentiments.
“I want to take this opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for rising to the occasion. Thank you for putting the health of our community, the care of our citizens as our top priority and your top priority.”
Jaworsky says he hopes this year’s event marks a turning point for the unsanctioned party.
“I’m cautiously optimistic this signals a change in the trajectory of this event, and hope that’s the case next year. It’s too early to draw many conclusions, we’ll look at the data in the coming weeks, however this was a great outcome.”
