Most COVID-19 tickets, court summons in Waterloo region tied to gatherings

There have been 561 tickets and court summons issued in Waterloo region since the start of the pandemic.

That's according to numbers provided to CBC Kitchener-Waterloo by Region of Waterloo Public Health. They are accurate as of June 21. 

Tickets handed out by regional by-law cost $240. Those issued under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Actor Reopening Ontario Act are $880.

Summonses result in fines issued by the court.

The vast majority of the charges issued during the pandemic in Waterloo region have been related to gatherings. 

Kitchener's director of enforcement Gloria MacNeil said it was often people having company over at their home. 

"I think people, as we've seen, have this sense that if they have family or friends over, there's a sense of safety associated with that, that's OK to do so," MacNeil said.

She said her team starts by telling people what the rules are and will escalate as needed. 

"Where we've got repeat offences happening, like the same address happening over and over again, or where we have somebody who refuses to comply ... that's when we've had to resort to charges," she said.

Waterloo's director of municipal enforcement services, Nicole Papke, said it's a similar situation in that city. 

"Engaging and educating has always been the focus with our interactions," Papke said. "However, it would be pretty clear when there was a large party of 20-plus people that there was a clear, flagrant disregard for the restrictions."

The anti-lockdown demonstrations held in uptown Waterloo also accounted for a number of the tickets issued in that city, Papke said. 

Both Papke and MacNeil said the first few months of the pandemic were a slow period, as most people stayed inside and it took time to get up to speed with regulations. As time went by, the number of complaints rose. 

"Last year at this time, we were very much in education mode. We were all learning. People were adjusting," said MacNeil.

"I think as things have progressed and as time has gone on, we have seen definitely an increase and maybe a frustration with residents."

After the provincial stay-at-home order was lifted last month and the province entered step one of the three-step reopening plan, both Papke and MacNeil said complaints have tapered. Going forward, they hope to see people following the rules until the pandemic ends and enforcement is no longer needed at all.