Coun. Juliette Cunningham says she will be asking the city to waive parking fines for 
residents and visitors caught in the Remembrance Day parking confusion. This year's Remembrance Day fell on a Saturday. Parking was free that day but many people wrongly assumed that as many businesses were closed the following Monday, and many people were off work, the city would allow free parking that day too. A similar situation occurred earlier this year on Canada Day. 
Cunningham, who has a downtown store, said many businesses and stores were closed and traffic was light. At one time, she said, "there were only three cars parked on my block and two had tickets on them."Cunningham said that ticketing downtown visitors in this way, especially those who were visiting from out of town, is bad for the city. "The concern that I have is that lots of people were from out of town for the long weekend - it's not a good way to impress them," she said, adding several customers came into her store complaining about being ticketed.In an e-mail from bylaw enforcement manager Clint Kanester to the mayor and council, Kanester said the bylaw division, "ran an advertisement in the paper prior to Remembrance Day, in order to ensure that our parking clients knew that parking regulations would be in effect on the Monday."Kanester's memo continues, telling a tale of an enforcement officer who was, "harassed throughout the day, by an individual who proceeded to follow the officer and place bylaw complaint forms, filled out as bylaw violation appeal forms, on each vehicle that was ticketed."The memo states that the issue of 108 tickets that day, with 101 being valid, was, "not an abnormal amount."Cunningham said she didn't buy these arguments, and questioned who's likely to have read the notice in the newspaper anyway, and pointed out that downtown parking was very light that day, suggesting that a higher than average percentage of vehicles were ticketed."I see parking enforcement necessary when there's a high demand (for parking spaces)," she said.The memo states that 70 of the 101 tickets issued that Monday have been paid, bringing in $365 for the city. The remaining 31 tickets have a potential revenue of $785. "Should individuals appeal the tickets based on not knowing that parking enforcement was in effect, these tickets will be allowed at the original reduced rate, or for out of town individuals, reduced to warnings," said Kanester in the memo.Council will vote today on a motion to amend the bylaw, giving free parking on a Monday that follows a public holiday that falls on a Saturday.
residents and visitors caught in the Remembrance Day parking confusion. This year's Remembrance Day fell on a Saturday. Parking was free that day but many people wrongly assumed that as many businesses were closed the following Monday, and many people were off work, the city would allow free parking that day too. A similar situation occurred earlier this year on Canada Day. 
Cunningham, who has a downtown store, said many businesses and stores were closed and traffic was light. At one time, she said, "there were only three cars parked on my block and two had tickets on them."Cunningham said that ticketing downtown visitors in this way, especially those who were visiting from out of town, is bad for the city. "The concern that I have is that lots of people were from out of town for the long weekend - it's not a good way to impress them," she said, adding several customers came into her store complaining about being ticketed.In an e-mail from bylaw enforcement manager Clint Kanester to the mayor and council, Kanester said the bylaw division, "ran an advertisement in the paper prior to Remembrance Day, in order to ensure that our parking clients knew that parking regulations would be in effect on the Monday."Kanester's memo continues, telling a tale of an enforcement officer who was, "harassed throughout the day, by an individual who proceeded to follow the officer and place bylaw complaint forms, filled out as bylaw violation appeal forms, on each vehicle that was ticketed."The memo states that the issue of 108 tickets that day, with 101 being valid, was, "not an abnormal amount."Cunningham said she didn't buy these arguments, and questioned who's likely to have read the notice in the newspaper anyway, and pointed out that downtown parking was very light that day, suggesting that a higher than average percentage of vehicles were ticketed."I see parking enforcement necessary when there's a high demand (for parking spaces)," she said.The memo states that 70 of the 101 tickets issued that Monday have been paid, bringing in $365 for the city. The remaining 31 tickets have a potential revenue of $785. "Should individuals appeal the tickets based on not knowing that parking enforcement was in effect, these tickets will be allowed at the original reduced rate, or for out of town individuals, reduced to warnings," said Kanester in the memo.Council will vote today on a motion to amend the bylaw, giving free parking on a Monday that follows a public holiday that falls on a Saturday. 
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