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.

Waterloo police did not answer questions from The Canadian Press about why a sniper was deployed at the event but did say officers work closely with emergency services and community partners, including student unions of local universities and colleges, to ensure a well co-ordinated response to St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2026.

Kathryn Mannie, The Canadian Press