Waterloo Regional Police Service says St. Patrick’s Day enforcement cost $321K

CTV’s Heather Senoran gets the final tally of how much it cost police to respond to an unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day street party in 2026.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service is already starting to plan for next year as the cost to respond to a persistent unsanctioned street party continues to grow.

A report presented at a Waterloo Regional Police Service board meeting on Wednesday said the total cost of the St. Patrick’s Day party in Waterloo’s university district came in at $321,100 in 2026. That is an increase of $12,300 compared to 2025.

However, police said fewer people turned up this year.

“At peak, the crowd estimate was 7,500 [people],” Insp. Tanya Klingenberg said. “That’s at least 50 per cent less than what we saw last year, which I think is significant as year-over-year the trend has been a 50 per cent increase.”

Aerial images showed the party clogging up streets at several points through the afternoon of March 14.

“Within less than an hour we were able to effectively disperse that crowd in a very controlled and safe manner without having injuries,” Klingenberg said.

Although the party typically makes headlines, police faced increased scrutiny this year due to the obvious presence of what appeared to be a police sniper perched high overhead.

Police confirmed photos circulating online depicted one of their tactical officers.

“As with all operational deployments that involve large gatherings with mass casualty considerations, a comprehensive safety plan for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations was developed that included members of our Public Order Unit and Emergency Response Team,” Const. Melissa Quarrie explained in an email to CTV News at the time.

“We’ve got to keep trying to end this”

The chair of the police service board urged staff to start planning for next year and said he believes more should be done to stop the party altogether.

“This is just very, very dangerous. It’s unsanctioned. It should not happen at all,” Ian McLean, chair of the Waterloo Regional Police Service board, said. “One of these years, something really horrific is going to happen and the community will be very rightly upset. We’ve got to keep trying to end this, not manage it.”

Police Chief Mark Crowell agreed.

“Moving forward, I think it’s crucial that our board agrees [that] we need to connect with the leadership of our post-secondary institutions to continue to look at solutions to mitigate, and ultimately end, this unsafe, unsanctioned gathering for our community,” he said.

Crowell said, at this time, there aren’t any specific measures he can suggest but said he hopes to talk with post-secondary institutions in the coming months.

Charges and arrests

Police laid 218 charges related to St. Patrick’s Day festivities between March 13 and March 18, including six criminal offences. Police said 128 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, 58 Liquor Licence and Control Act charges and three Trespass to Property Act charges were issued.

One person was charged under the Cannabis Control Act.

Amid the charges, the Waterloo Regional Police Service said 13 arrests were made.

Meanwhile, City of Waterloo by-law officers were also kept busy. Officers responded to 72 calls for noise and nuisance, a 44 per cent drop from 128 calls in 2025.

On March 14, bylaw officers issued seven tickets for nuisance parties and laid six charges for blocking or interfering with pedestrian or vehicle traffic. The offences come with $800 fines.

Officers also handed out 21 tickets for noise and three tickets for public urination, both of which come with costly consequences of $400 each.

There were also 49 clean-up orders issued for properties in the area.