St. Patrick's celebrations

[jeffster]

But do we know this?  Have you worked in the industry? I have. And it's not a boon at all. St. Patrick's day should be a good day to most places regardless of the Ezra event, but having done work for an owner that operates in that area (20 years), the year-over-year sales have *decreased* rather than increase over the past few years. Why? Because of this unsanctioned party. St. Paddy's, along with homecoming, was the cash cow. Now St. Patrick's is like any other day.  Why would someone go to a restaurant and pay $5+ per drink, when they a beer will cost them $1.50 on Ezra?

It's not a matter of 'old folks' not wanting the younger crowd to have fun.  What the issue is is the cost to region for an event that is not helpful, nor open, to really anyone.  If it was revenue positive, you would have heard about it by now. If there was a benefit to the region, you'd have heard about it by now.

As for underage drinking, that is not OK.  And the drain on the services is not OK. Just remember, when an ambulance is picking up another drunk student, that's time taken away potentially from someone that needs medical help.  It's not a matter of "if" but "when" something happens. This is referred to as a "Code Red" -- when a ambulance is not available for dispatch. If you think that a students right to party illegally is more important than having emergency services available, then you really need to give you head a shake. Personally, I'm not OK with ambulances wasting their time picking up drunks when some senior on the other side of the city is having a heart attack...or if some kid gets run over by a car.

619 charges laid this year for the Ezra event. Now we have the courts all tied up. I don't have the current numbers for other events, for example, Oktoberfest, but IIRC, it was less than 100.

If the Laurier and Waterloo want to team up and hire paramedics, security, police, etc., and leave the region out of it, I'm fine with that. They can set up a tent somewhere to deal with passed out students and leave Grand River Hospital and St. Mary's out of it too.  But guess what, that would never happen because it would create major legal issues if something happened.

Sorry, but no excuse for the illegal party. Make it legal, raise funds for charity, charge admission, open it to everyone, have it licensed, etc.  Bingeman's has their Everafterfest, and that's mostly geared to 18-25 year olds, who actually are coming from all over Canada and US and bring real benefits to the city and region, (despite some angry locals at having loud music blaring past 6PM).

First of all, "hearing about it by now" is just an assumption you made to believe to be true, with nothing backing it.
Secondly, Mr. Strawman, I never said students have the right to party illegally. 

If you actually read what I wrote, I said the city should make it a sanctioned even ON Ezra, because the fact of the matter is, attempting to get students off of Ezra isn't going to work, understand?

So yes, sanction the event on Ezra, but don't sanction it in the way where you only have a short window of oppurtunity to enter the event with a ticket, and don't sanction it in a way that if you leave the event you're not allowed to get in. These are all things that aren't going to work. Understand?

Here's a great idea i found on reddit:

It is time to pave the cow path:

There’s a great pattern developing in Waterloo:

• Talk about how bad it is that Erza Ave is a crazy party on St Patrick’s day
  
  
• Rattle some sabres about how it wont be tolerated anymore
  
  
• The city devotes their twitter feed to being safe on St. Patrick’s day for the week prior. (Which seems odd, their twitter following seems more “parents wondering when summer camp registration starts” and less “students looking to party”)
  
  
• It’s an uncontrolled party: Drone Footage, 22,000 attendees, 614 charges laid, 52 hospitalized, 1 in critical condition (and that's just what you get from the /r/waterloo front page) 
  

My proposal: Pave the cow path. People show up there, people want to party there. Rather than try to shut it down, make it a great party:

• Close the street
  
  
• Allow drinking on the street for people of age with a wrist band (costs $1, bring your ID to the booth at either end of the street)
  
  
• Invite food & drink vendors
  
  
• Invite apartment buildings to rent out their parking lots to vendors
  
  
• Throw up a music stage or two 
  
  
• Put up a first aid tent
  
  
• Use money from vendor licenses & wrist bands to help pay for private security.
  

Is that the best place in the city for that party to take place? No. But the party remains there despite the city’s best efforts. Rather than failing to shut it down, make it a little better, and a lot safer.

First, stop calling me "Mr. Straw Man"...what are you? 15 years old??

Secondly, you keep making the point that this is an Ezra event that is going to happen no matter what (and with the growing crowds), with the region needing to embrace this event. This is the issue. If the City of Waterloo (or the region) were to make this an official event, and to do this on Ezra, and to do it in a professional and legal manner, one that is inclusive, then it *might* kill the 'vibe' that you speak fondly of.

Reasons why Ezra is popular:

1) Underage drinking is allowed [If it was an official event, drinking age would be 19]
2) Unlimited drinking (no one has Smart Serve training) [At an official event, bar tenders would stop serving if customer is too intoxicated]
3) Alcohol is cheap or free (tall boys are $2 at the LCBO, cases of 24 beer start at $33 at The Beer Store). [Event would be $6-8 per drink at least, difficult and expensive to purchase drinks for others]
4) No crowd control (the more the merrier) [Event organizers would have to limit crowds to safe capacity]
5) Ezra in an exclusive event (mostly students and perhaps a few of their friends) [Event would be inclusive, so enter creep factor with 30+ year olds showing up to gawk at 19 year olds).
6) Little to no cost to host Ezra (as it is quite informal) [A real event would cost thousands, more if they included live music, medical staff, etc., who pays?]
7) Public intoxication/street drinking is permitted [By-laws would need to change to allow drinking on the street - perhaps entire street can be fenced in]

If I am a 20 year-old student, which do you think I prefer? I think I know your answer, same as mine, I'd want the informal, free-for-all, event. I don't want no stamp or bracelet, $6+ drink (plus TIP!), strict crown control, being cut off after 3 drinks because I have speech problems. I sure the hell don't want 30, 40, 50, 60 year olds around me acting like they own the place. If I am 18 years old, well, to hell with an official event totally, who wants their first year party ruined by stupid drinking laws?

See, the appeal to Ezra. I'm not too old not to understand. I am also old enough to realize the massive risk that this event places on the entire region. Financial's besides, it's only money; but it's the risk of having services disrupted, or unavailable, that make to too dangerous to allow the event to continue. Bryan Larkin figured he'd get the crown under control this year. I knew he wouldn't. I shouldn't have knows that he'd be wrong, as he's the expert, not me. Perhaps he's simply not in touch with his youthful side.

The only solution that I can see, aside from shutting it down completely:

1) Event remains exclusive, AKA, private event. (students, and friends/family of students (like 1 year older sibling).
2) The city of Waterloo, and perhaps the region of Waterloo, help pay to organize the event.
3) Laurier/Waterloo student body subsidize alcohol (not-for-profit alcohol).
4) Smart Serve trained bar tenders. Everything is ticket based, no tips. Revenue from ticket sales bank for next party.
5) Enlarge to include neighbouring streets. Universities absorb the costs of fencing in. This allows for large crowds, but safe capacity.
6) Medical staff is hired to help with the event. A triage and treatment tent set-up off site but nearby. Only critically sick sent to hospital (IIRC, that would be 2).
7) Allow for some food trucks.
8) Allow for other vendors, IF, this is what the student body wants.
9) Live music, if this is what the student body wants.

By keeping the event 'private' you avoid the creep factor. The crowds, even if 'larger' might appear smaller as they will be in a larger area.

Only real issue, how to fence in. People go from house to house, onto street, back and forth...

Otherwise, if they can't do that, this event has to go.