Just ahead of the two universities’ homecoming weekends, the city of Waterloo has amended its public nuisance bylaw in an effort to curtail unsanctioned public gatherings.
In 2018, police said more than 14,000 people gathered on Ezra Avenue on the Saturday of that year’s homecoming weekend, forcing the street to be closed.
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That number was dwarfed last March when police estimated that more than 33,000 people gathered on the busy street and other surrounding roads in the area on St. Patrick’s Day.
City council approved the bylaw change at Monday night’s council meeting.
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The bylaw, which is normally enforced at night, will now be around the clock annually during homecoming weekend and from March 16 to 18, the days surrounding St. Patrick’s Day.
The change to the bylaw’s hours is meant to deal with noise complaints, such as loud music, which the city says causes a disturbance when heard from public property.
The city will now also require proper ID to be shown when someone is being charged with a public nuisance violation.
Waterloo says this is to ensure the right person is charged and that they can be found if they skip out on court.
READ MORE: Ezra Avenue St. Patrick’s Day crowd peaked at 33,000 people, Waterloo police say
The city says these moves are being made to help “address the growing concerns associated with large public gatherings such as what occurs in the city during St. Patrick’s Day and WLU Homecoming weekend.”
It says the loud music will often attract a crowd, which can lead to obstruction of roads and sidewalks.
In an effort to curtail the crowds that are visiting the universities for homecoming weekend, Guelph and Waterloo are also having homecoming this weekend.