Ticket system for Whiteout parties not our idea, say Winnipeg police
WPS did ask True North to limit capacity on site, but how they did it was up to them, says commander
The Winnipeg Police Service say it was not their idea to implement a free ticketing system for whiteout street parties.
Cmdr. Nick Paulet said the WPS asked organizers to limit capacity for the street party site in some way.
But "how any applicant or a company decide to accomplish that is entirely their prerogative," he told media Monday morning.
Major events requiring special permits in Winnipeg are overseen by a special events committee, containing representatives from city and provincial departments including the WPS, said Paulet.
When someone applies for a permit, any concerns are brought up to the committee to be addressed before permits are issued, he said.
The police's concerns centred around crowd numbers and security, said Paulet.
"Our issues surround specifically more to do with our ability to have the resources in place to manage that crowd, but as a busy police service, heading into our busiest time of the year, the ability to also respond to other needs of the city."
As the street parties grew from 5,000 people to 21,000 people, the WPS asked for capacity at the site be limited, he said, to make sure the police could manage the crowds.
Mandating that tickets be required to get into the site was not part of the ask, said Paulet.
However, Economic Development Winnipeg CEO Dayna Spiring, whose organization is co-hosting the parties with True North Sports and Entertainment, says that's not true.
"To ensure that we didn't end up with thousands of disappointed fans downtown with no place to go, the Winnipeg Police Service mandated that we implement a free ticketing policy," she said in a statement sent to CBC Monday.
"Implementing a ticketing policy allows us to plan our capacity in advance and it ensures that Jets fans aren't disappointed if they were to arrive at the Winnipeg Whiteout Street Party that was already at capacity."
CBC has reached out to True North Sports and Entertainment for additional comment.
Tickets for admittance to the whiteout street parties were first required on Saturday, for the first game of the NHL's Western Conference final between the Winnipeg Jets and the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The free tickets were scooped up on Ticketmaster quickly, and some tried to resell their tickets online for cash.
About 15,000 people showed up to the party, which was several thousand less than organizers were expecting. Staff members were handing out tickets at the door, said True North spokesperson Rob Wozny Sunday.
"Many fans who had unused tickets donated them back at the entry gates for others to get into the street party," said Wozny.
True North expects numbers to go back up for Monday's street party and released 10,000 additional free tickets Sunday, which were also snapped up quickly.
