$43K parking ticket bonanza
More meters, staff leads to 1,242 fines issued in January compared to 142 last year
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
If you received a parking ticket in January, you are far from alone.
Parking enforcement officer JoAnn Tyrie inspects a parking meter in downtown Yellowknife yesterday. The city issued 1,242 parking tickets in January compared to only 142 in January of 2015. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
There were 1,240 parking tickets issued that month, compared to 142 the previous January. For city revenue this means $43,135 and $3,275 respectively, according to Doug Gillard, manager of the municipal enforcement division (MED).
Gillard says the discrepancy is due to the city having no parking enforcement officers in January of last year, and now there are two.
"Prior to September 2015 we have only ever had one parking enforcement position," stated Gillard in an e-mail.
He said regular MED officers, who also had other duties to attend to, handed out the tickets in January 2015.
Another reason for the increase in tickets is that there are about 125 new parking meters installed last fall on 51, 52 and 53 streets. This brings total meters to 748.
The fine for parking at an expired meter is $25.
One city councillor who has no problem with more meters and more tickets is Niels Konge.
"On-street parking is a service provided by the city, just like the swimming pool. If I want to use the pool I have to pay. If people what to park on the streets, they should have to pay," Konge said.
Gillard is quick to point out that handing out parking tickets is not all parking enforcement officers do.
"Anytime a meter malfunctions they repair it," Gillard stated. The parking enforcement officers also patrol the downtown sidewalks, making sure property owners are in compliance with the city's snow-clearing bylaw which gives them 24 hours after a snowfall to clear the sidewalks of snow and ice.
The parking enforcement officers also patrol the public library looking for people drinking or sleeping, Gillard said.
He added the officers will ask the people to leave and direct them toward the day shelter across the street. If the person is unwilling to leave the library then the RCMP is called, Gillard said.
