St. Patrick's celebrations

[jeffster]

This is not an "illegal" party.

Everyone says this, but it means nothing.  There are illegal acts, yes, and those people are punished.  But it is not illegal to congregate on public property, nor is it illegal to invite people onto your own property for a party.  Calling this an "illegal party" is the same as arguing a traffic jam is an illegal party, a group of people, some (probably more) who are breaking the law, all in one place blocking a road.

As for EMS, why do you call out City of Waterloo?  They're not responsible for EMS services, why are you calling them out in this case.  The city and region are hardly distinct in this case.  I think if you lived in the CoW, you wouldn't be saying this.

I'm all for solving the problems related to this event, but this rhetoric is not solving anything.

It's 'illegal' because it's on a public street. It's 'illegal' because there is underage drinking. It's 'illegal' because there is public intoxication. If I go and walking on a street with a open can of beer, I'll be arrested. That's a fact. So what is going on here is 100% illegal. This isn't a party on someones property. You and I both know that. To compare this to a traffic jam is beyond ridiculous.

How about trying to have a 'party' on your street, start handing drinks to 18 year olds, get people drunk, and see well that goes for ya.

As for "why do you call out the City of Waterloo"? This is because Waterloo doesn't enforce their own by-laws, and does nothing to contribute to the safety of this party.

The City of Kitchener puts on their own parties, legally, and they HIRE EMS, they HIRE police services, etc, not to mention use their corporate security and by-law to ensure safety of the patrons. These parties brings in money to the city primarily, but also some benefits to the region. But guess what, the region doesn't have to pony up the costs of these parties the city puts on.

If I lived in the CoW I wouldn't care if the city had to pay for it. Just like I don't care, being a CoK taxpayer, at paying for all these events the city puts on. Kitchener wants their drunken (within reason) rib and beer fest, their drunken (within reason) Blues Fest, and they have to pay for the added services. If I decide to benefit myself to these 'legal' parties, I can. If it's a rainout disaster, oh well...