Safety and respect: community partners take St. Patrick's Day messages door-to-door in Waterloo
Be smart. Stay safe. Be respectful. These are the simple, yet essential, messages that community partners are promoting to encourage safe and responsible behaviour on St. Patrick’s Day. From doorknockers to posters, the message is clear: be safe, show respect to neighbours and each other, and play by the rules.
St. Patrick’s Day activities, which traditionally take place on March 17 on Ezra Street, are unsanctioned. There is no licensed street event, and the gathering is not officially organized or condoned. We recognize however, that people do congregate that day, so student and neighbourhood safety remains the top priority for city and police officials and academic institutions.
On March 13, City of Waterloo Fire Rescue and municipal enforcement will join Waterloo Regional Police Services, Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services, Wilfrid Laurier University, Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, University of Waterloo and University of Waterloo Federation of Students for the annual doorknocker campaign. The goal is to spread messages about safety and respect, as well as specific information about illegal consumption of alcohol in public areas, and the fines for excessive noise, littering, and excess garbage.
Additionally, officials will remind students that malicious false alarms prevent firefighters from responding to genuine emergences across the city. They will also be encouraged to carry identification, stick together, never leave a friend behind and ensure all make it home safely.
The overarching peer-to-peer message is one of respect, encouraging students to respect their neighbours, their neighbours’ properties and to take pride in representing their university communities.
While the messages reach local students directly, activities increasingly attract participants from out of town. Students are encouraged to share messages of safety and respect with visitors. This year, because St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday, officials encourage parents to be diligent about their children’s whereabouts that weekend.
Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo and their student unions are collaborating to promote safety messages.
“The safety and well-being of our students and the broader community is our No. 1 priority, and for that reason Laurier actively discourages the unsanctioned gatherings that have taken place in the past,” says Leanne Holland Brown, dean of students at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus. “We are pleased to continue working closely with the City of Waterloo and our emergency service partners on operational and communications plans to address growing safety concerns and to ensure a collective effort in responding to this situation.”
“Given that St. Patrick's Day seems to have a unique place on the calendar of some students, we want to make efforts to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of our local community," adds Chris Read, associate provost, students, at the University of Waterloo.
Members of the media are welcome to follow the doorknocker campaign on March 13. Participants will meet at 4:45 p.m. at the Wilfrid Laurier University parking lot located off Balsam Street behind the Lazaridis Business School. The campaign begins at 5:30 pm.
CONTACT
Tony Iavarone, Director
Communications, City of Waterloo
519-747-8513 or tony.iavarone@waterloo.ca
Kevin Crowley, Director
Communications & Public Affairs
Wilfrid Laurier University
519-573-1084 or kcrowley@wlu.ca
Cherri Greeno, Media Relations Coordinator
Waterloo Regional Police Service
519-650-8500 ext. 8773 or cherri.greeno@wrps.on.ca
Matthew Grant, Director
Media Relations, University of Waterloo
226-929-7627 or matthew.grant@uwaterloo.ca
Nic Smith
Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services
519-575-4400 ext. 8711 or nsmith@regionofwaterloo.ca