Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe says she was "surprised and shocked" to learn that a Waterloo Regional Police Service sniper was deployed as part of law enforcement's efforts to manage an unsanctioned street party during St. Patrick's Day weekend in the city's university district. Waterloo police confirmed to The Canadian Press that a photo and video circulating of a sniper monitoring the St. Patrick's Day crowd on Saturday was indeed a Waterloo police officer. McCabe says she has requested a meeting with police Chief Mark Crowell to ask why officers felt a sniper was necessary to respond to the street party. McCabe says she was not informed of any concerns about weapons, extreme violence or any other issues that would require a sniper be deployed at the unsanctioned St. Patrick's Day festivities. The Waterloo mayor says young people have hosted street parties to mark St. Patrick's Day for upwards of 15 years, and the city has taken numerous measures to crackdown on the event, which she says is disruptive to residents who live in the area and puts strain on public resources.

Source: CBC News March 16, 2026 01:09 UTC