Waterloo Mayor Dorothy Mc Cabe expressed her “surprise and shock” upon discovering that a sniper from the Waterloo Regional Police Service was part of the law enforcement response to an unsanctioned street party during St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the city’s university area.
The Waterloo police confirmed to The Canadian Press that a photo and video showing a sniper watching over the crowd on St. Patrick’s Day Saturday did indeed feature one of their officers, but initially, they did not provide details about why this decision was made.
Later on Sunday, police explained via email that “mass casualty considerations” were included in their safety plan for the event.
“The scale of tragic mass casualty incidents that have happened across North America and globally in recent years has influenced emergency response tactics for large gatherings,” Chief Mark Crowell stated in the email.
“Following established standards for emergency response and public order deployment, our officers effectively managed a significant unsanctioned gathering while ensuring safety for everyone involved.”
Canada has witnessed several vehicle attacks in recent times.
On April 26, 2025, an SUV drove into a busy Vancouver street, resulting in 11 deaths and numerous injuries at the annual Lapu Lapu Day festival celebrating Filipino culture.
In 2021, four members of a Muslim family from London, Ontario tragically died while out for a walk when Nathaniel Veltman struck them with his pickup truck. The self-identified white nationalist received a life sentence.
In 2018, a man aged 25 drove a rented van into mostly female pedestrians on Yonge Street in Toronto, killing ten people and injuring sixteen others.
The Waterloo police mentioned in their email that this year’s St. Patrick’s Day safety plan included deploying barriers “to stop vehicles from dangerously entering the area.”
They also noted that tactical officers were placed at higher vantage points to spot “potential safety issues that may not be visible to ground officers.”
However, Mc Cabe pointed out that she had not been informed of any threats involving weapons or extreme violence necessitating the presence of a sniper at this year’s unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
She remarked that young people have been hosting street parties for St. Patrick’s Day for more than fifteen years now, and although the city has implemented various measures to control it due to its disruptive nature on residents and public resources.
In 2025 alone, local police reported arresting seventeen individuals and filing over two hundred fifty charges linked to St. Patrick’s Day festivities across several days when they believed there was an attempt to seize control of a street.
Ahead of last year’s celebrations, the city secured an injunction allowing police to detain and charge anyone taking part in large unsanctioned gatherings.
Mc Cabe mentioned she has sought a meeting with the police chief to understand why authorities deemed it necessary to deploy a sniper during this year’s street party. Police confirmed that both she and the chief have had discussions regarding this matter.
The police have stated they collaborate closely with emergency services as well as community partners like student unions from nearby universities and colleges to ensure organized responses during St. Patrick’s Day events.
This past week, Waterloo declared it would be holding a “Community Safety Event” ahead of St. Patrick’s Day while warning residents about enforcing its nuisance bylaw against actions such as blocking sidewalks or lingering on roadways causing street closures.
This report by The Canadian Press was first March 15, 2026.
Kathryn Mannie, The Canadian Press
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