Crowd size down at 2019 Wilfrid Laurier homecoming on Ezra Avenue: police

While the official numbers are expected to come later this week, a spokesperson for the Waterloo Regional Police told Global News the crowd at the Wilfrid Laurier University homecoming on Ezra Avenue was not nearly as large as in 2018.

“We can say with a fair amount of confidence that the crowds were significantly lower than last year,” police spokesperson Cherri Greeno told Global News.

More than 14,000 people gathered on Ezra Avenue in 2018 during Wilfrid Laurier’s homecoming celebration.

READ MORE: 12 arrested, 462 charges laid during 2018 Laurier homecoming

When the numbers from this year’s event are released, they will also include the number of arrests that took place during the celebration.

Police announced several arrests on Saturday, including one woman charged with public intoxication, a man accused of damaging vehicles parked in the area and a man who was charged with obstruction as police shut down a backyard party.

Greeno says officers shut down several backyard parties over safety issues after they reportedly grew too large.

According to Greeno, police and other community partners introduced several initiatives this year designed to keep homecoming celebrations under control.

Homecoming parties for Guelph, Waterloo and Laurier were scheduled on the same day in order to cut down on out-of-town visits.

READ MORE: Public nuisance bylaw amended ahead of Laurier, Waterloo homecoming weekends

In addition, the city also placed limits on noise during the day as well as overnight parking.

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Greeno also spoke of the pods that were introduced this year.

The pods were fenced-in areas with garbage cans and porta-potties.

She said they were effective in keeping crowds moving while also cutting down on litter and public urination.