On Monday afternoon, students received an email about the city of Waterloo’s court-granted injunction against St. Patrick’s Day gatherings. The order started at 12 a.m. and will continue to Monday, March 17 at 11:59 p.m. 

In the email, Chris Read, UW’s Associate Provost, said, “The University of Waterloo discourages attending large, unsanctioned street gatherings as they can quickly get out of control and have previously resulted in students drinking too much, overdoses, assaults and overall feelings of insecurity.” 

Waterloo has been a hotspot for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations for years, but with these new restrictions, that could change. 

Megan Stock, a first-year arts and business student, said the restriction of street partying on St. Patrick’s Day weekend is fair, to an extent.   

“I think that students should be allowed to have fun and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day,” Stock said.  “But I also know that in the past there was a lot of damage done, so I think there should be a little regulation.” 

Previously, those participating in nuisance activities, including damage to public or private property, would be subject to a ticket and fines under the city’s nuisance bylaw, according to the City of Waterloo. 

Nick Garcia, a third-year health science student, said the restrictions won’t change how students celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Waterloo. “I think everyone will keep doing what they’re doing. They can’t arrest and fine everyone who goes out.”    

Garcia said the restriction on street partying will mainly affect Laurier rather than UW students.    

The injunction, however, is enforced in the university district, including Northdale and MacGregor neighbourhoods, most of uptown, southern parts of Sugarbush, and Waterloo Park.    

Jacob Stark, a first-year recreation and sports business student, said the enforced restrictions will “make more issues,” and students in the Waterloo region will relocate to other university towns this weekend.  

“I’ve seen a lot of buzz on TikTok and Instagram about people going somewhere else this year, a lot of talk about Guelph,” Stark said. 

Nicholas Pfeifle, the president of the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association, describes the injunction as the “wrong approach.”    

Pfeifle is also a member of the Waterloo Town and Gown Committee, a group composed of UW students, post-secondary institutions, police, the City of Waterloo, and members of the community. This group was not included in the discussion of the injunction.   

“They dragged the organizations, so the universities and college with them, but they didn’t include us in this discussion, and an injunction is kind of a severe way of approaching this.”   

Pfeifle said the injunction has other economic consequences that the city has not thought through.    

“We are not against students engaging in nightlife, and I don’t think the community, if they really knew the economic impact would be either,” Pfeifle said.  

“We have tons of people visiting from out of town and is it appropriate to make universities, which are already cash strapped, have to resolve an issue that really is, for many of our businesses, quite a lucrative weekend?” Pfeifle said.   

“We’re changing how damages are moved, but it doesn’t change much damage.”