By-law now has more power to act on unsanctioned street parties in Waterloo
Posted Mar 6, 2018 04:58:16 AM.
Last Updated Mar 6, 2018 05:01:52 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Don’t expect a big party on Ezra Avenue this St. Patrick’s Day.
Waterloo city council voted unanimously to update their property standards and public nuisance by-laws.
The biggest change is now officers will have the ability to issue fines.
“During these unsanctioned events, you might find 10 or 15 people sitting on the roof, and that’s just not safe,” says Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky, “We want to take action, tell those people to get down, do it with authority and for their own safety.”
This, he says, will give officers something extra to clear blocked streets and sidewalks.
Jaworsky tells 570 NEWS they didn’t do it just to single out St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, noting this by-law helps them with other large gatherings such as homecoming reunions.
“It can be used at any given time, and it’s for incredibly large parties that we need to take action on,” he adds.
Last St. Patrick’s Day, 15,000 partygoers crammed the Ezra Avenue neighbourhood.
Jaworsky says for people who get fined, it’ll likely go to court and the court’s will have the final say.
He adds he doesn’t foresee too many cases — if any at all — getting that far.
“We normally see like 99 or 100 per cent compliance,” he says, “We saw that last year. Soon as our by-law people went there with official notices, students cleaned up their properties quite quickly.”
