Waterloo Mayor Dorothy Mc Cabe expressed her “surprise and shock” upon discovering that a Waterloo Regional Police Service sniper was sent to help manage an unsanctioned street party over St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the university area.
Waterloo police confirmed to The Canadian Press that images and videos circulating of a sniper watching the St. Patrick’s Day crowd on Saturday were indeed of a police officer, but initially did not provide details on why one was called in.
Later, police clarified in an email late Sunday that “mass casualty considerations” were included in their safety plan for the event.
“The scale of unfortunate mass casualty incidents that have taken place across North America and globally in recent years has influenced emergency response strategies for large gatherings,” Chief Mark Crowell stated in the email.
“In line with legislated standards for emergency response and public order deployment, our officers effectively managed a significant unsanctioned gathering while ensuring safety for everyone involved.”
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Canada has experienced several vehicle attacks in recent times.
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Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories. On April 26, 2025, an SUV crashed through a packed Vancouver street, killing 11 people and injuring many others at the annual Lapu Lapu Day festival celebrating Filipino culture. In 2021, four members of a Muslim family in London, Ontario lost their lives during a walk when Nathaniel Veltman struck them with his pickup truck. The self-identified white nationalist received a life sentence. In 2018, a 25-year-old man drove a rented van into mostly female pedestrians on Yonge Street in Toronto, resulting in 10 deaths and injuring 16 others. Waterloo police mentioned in their email that this year’s safety plan for St. Patrick’s Day weekend involved using barriers “to stop vehicles from dangerously entering the area.” The plan also stated that tactical officers were positioned at elevated spots to spot “potential safety concerns that might not be visible to officers on the ground.” However, Mc Cabe noted she wasn’t informed about any threats involving weapons or extreme violence that would justify having a sniper at the unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. More on Canada More videos She pointed out that young people have been throwing street parties for St. Patrick’s Day for over 15 years, and the city has implemented various measures to curb these events as they disrupt residents and strain public resources. Story continues below In 2025, local police reported arresting 17 individuals and filing more than 250 charges related to St. Patrick’s Day festivities over several days when there was an attempted takeover of a street. Ahead of last year’s celebrations, the city secured an injunction allowing police to detain and charge anyone participating in large unsanctioned gatherings. Mc Cabe stated she has requested a meeting with the police chief to discuss why officers deemed it necessary to deploy a sniper during this year’s street party. Police indicated that both the mayor and chief have had discussions about it. The police have said they work closely with emergency services and community partners like student unions from local universities and colleges to ensure coordinated responses during St. Patrick’s Day events. This past week, Waterloo announced it would be declaring a “Community Safety Event” leading up to St. Patrick’s Day while warning that it would enforce its nuisance bylaw prohibiting actions like intentionally blocking sidewalks or remaining on roadways to force closures. & copy; 2026 The Canadian PressSource link
