Cost of some parking tickets to rise 50 percent

If you're used to collecting parking tickets from the lots at the Civic Centre, Bell Avenue, Bruce Street and at 807 Queen Street, don't say we didn't warn you.

If the expected approvals are gained from City Council and the Chief Judge, the cost of a parking ticket in those lots will be going up by 50 percent.

That means that instead of $10 you'll be paying $15, comparable to parking tickets in most other parts of the City.

How to steal Joe Fratesi's parking spot

Meanwhile, the City's legal staff is moving to plug a bylaw loophole that allows anyone conducting business at the Civic Centre to legally park in the employee parking spaces.

Here's the ambiguous wording of Bylaw 90-245 that makes it possible:

"Parking Restricted -- No one shall park a vehicle in the parking lot shown on Schedule 'A' or 'B' unless that person is an employee or in the process of conducting business in the Civic Centre."

"Under the current working," says Assistant City Solicitor Nuala Kenny, "a visitor conducting business in the Civic Centre could park in employee parking."

"To correct this ambiguity, I suggest that the bylaw be amended to indicate employees must park in employee-designated areas and visitors must park in visitor-designated areas," Beck says.

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