Waterloo Regional Police Service Board faces questions on pre-St. Patrick’s Day party

CTV’s Karis Mapp has the latest as the Waterloo Regional Police Service face questions about their response to an unsanctioned party.

Despite an agenda full of financial reporting and crime suppression statistics, there was one thing that was top of mind during a Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) board meeting; the unsanctioned pre-St. Patrick’s Day party.

The initial purpose of the meeting was to go over data from 2025, but once the board opened the floor to questions, WRPS Chief Mark Crowell faced queries about the annual event in Waterloo’s university district.

He said a report about the police response to the party will be released to the public soon, but in the meantime, he called WRPS’ emergency response plan a success.

“We’re very proud of everybody involved to manage [the unsanctioned street party], but moving forward, we’re continuing to take a really firm approach to wanting to see this end,” Chief Crowell said.

The upcoming report is expected to contain details on the size of the crowd, how many charges were laid and some lessons learned that may help with future planning.

The party on Saturday afternoon involved hundreds of students. Images showed a crowd of green clad revelers clogging roads near Marshall Street as the party continued despite strong opposition from both the police and the City of Waterloo. The city even declared a Community Safety Event ahead of the festivities, including a parking ban in the university district.

However, Tuesday, the actual day of St. Patrick’s Day, was much quieter as students attended classes.

“It is an unsanctioned event, but we have to plan for it and we can’t be dependent on whether we have bad weather or where it lands on the calendar,” police board chair Ian McLean said during Wednesday’s meeting.

Sniper criticism

WRPS faced criticism after a police sniper was spotted perched on a balcony during the party.

“We understand that [the sniper] caused some level of interest and intrigue, but I would say that it’s something that we have incorporated in our operational plans in the past,” Chief Crowell explained during the police board meeting.

“This is a protective capacity. It is meant not to intimidate and not to provide any level of concern. It’s actually meant to protect and to provide our officers and our emergency services partners every opportunity and advantage should the worst circumstances happen.”

He added that previous mass-casualty tragedies throughout the world provided some of the inspiration for the decision, and said the presence of a sniper was necessary to be properly prepared.

“We have to stop it”

The police board remained steadfast in its view that it is time for the party to end.

“We have to stop it,” said McLean. “Not just manage it. We have to stop it because it’s very risky and very expensive.”

In 2025, police said the total cost of enforcement, including planning, logistics, salaries and overtime pay, came out to $308,800. Although that represented a decrease of $8,200 from 2024, police attributed the change to calling in backup from the Ontario Provincial Police for only one day.

For years there have been suggestions that creating a sanctioned party could help control some of the chaos, but board officials were skeptical.

“The excitement for a lot of the students is just being out in the street and taking over,” McLean explained.

“They’ve tried this before for homecoming at Laurier. No one went to the sanctioned events,” he said.