The city of Kingston’s manager of bylaw enforcement and licensing, Kyle Compeau, says the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day overall was quiet.
“We did see a lower volume over this past weekend,” Compeau said. “Although, we did see some social gatherings.”
There was one notable exception Friday afternoon when bylaw officers about 140 people gathered at a Brock Street residence close to Queen’s University.
Compeau says bylaw officers went to the scene after receiving several calls about the party.
“When enforcement showed up, essentially there was a flight response and all the individuals that attended that party dispersed, including the tenants.”
A section 22 order issued by Dr. Kieran Moore, the medical officer for KFL&A Public Health, restricts outdoor and indoor gatherings to five people, but it didn’t come into effect until 12:01 am on Saturday, March 13.
Yet Compeau says the gathering did violate the Reopening Ontario Act. The acts limits gatherings to 25 people outside and 10 people indoors.
Moore’s reaction to the large party was one of disappointment and concern. “It is sad to hear of that number of people aggregating specially when we have variants of concern in the community.”
Bylaw enforcement launched an investigation into the incident.
One of the challenges Compeau and his team are facing is tracking down the people who ran from the party on March 12.
“We are in communication with our educational institutions as well as the community in general, KFL&A Public Health to help try to identify the individuals that were in relation to this incident,” Compeau said.
Global News Kingston reached out to Queen’s University for comment on the March 12 incident but the university has not responded.
Under the Reopening Ontario Act, individuals hosting parties that exceed the act’s gathering limits could be fined up to $10,000.
A person attending such a gathering could be fined up to $1,000.