Waterloo announces parking bans in university district for St. Patrick’s Day weekend

The countdown is on to St. Patrick’s Day and officials in Waterloo are hoping it’s a calm weekend in the university district.

The City of Waterloo told CityNews Kitchener there’s an operational plan in place for Mar. 17, which is being led by Waterloo Regional Police.

It’s all part of efforts to try and deter any students from taking part in yet another massive, unsanctioned street party.

The city announced Tuesday afternoon that it will be implementing parking bans for both Saturday and Sunday.

The bans will see parking prohibited in an area bordered by Bridgeport Road, Albert Street, Columbia Street, and Weber Street.

Anyone caught violating the ban could be ticketed, even if they register for an overnight parking exemption.

“The city’s overnight parking registration system will remain available for users in other areas of the city to register their vehicles,” read the notice from the City of Waterloo. “The area where exemptions will not be allowed is noted on both the online overnight parking registration site and the email confirmation.”

In a statement to CityNews Kitchener this week, Wilfrid Laurier University said it continues to work in collaboration with police, other post-secondary schools, the city, and emergency responders to actively discourage students from attending large unsanctioned gatherings.

Ezra Avenue used to be the backdrop for those unruly street parties but that hasn’t happened since 2019. It was dormant in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 and the last two years, the road has been blocked off.

That hasn’t stopped students though, who just shifted their unsanctioned parties in 2022 and 2023 to other surrounding streets in the area.

Last year, thousands of students swarmed Marshall Street for the second time. Waterloo Regional Police said the St. Paddy’s street party resulted in more than 200 charges and 18 arrests, and two police officers sustained minor injuries.