Toronto city council approves increased fines for more than 100 parking violations
Toronto councillors have voted in favour of increasing fines for more than 100 parking violations.
During Wednesday's meeting, city council debated a staff report that proposed hiking penalty amounts for 125 offences related to parking, stopping and standing.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Coun. Jennifer McKelvie, chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, introduced a motion that revised some of the penalty amounts in the initial staff report.
"I think we quickly realized in discussions with council colleagues that maybe we need to go with more of a Goldilocks approach, as we had some bears that thought that the fines were too high, and we had some bears that thought that the fines were too low, and I think in the end city staff have come back with fines that are really just right," said McKelvie, whose motion was approved 20-1.
The fine for parking in bike lanes, for example, will increase from $150 to $200, while not paying the required fee at parking machines would jump from $30 to $50. The approved increases will come into effect on Aug. 1.
Council also ordered the general manager of transportation services to review all parking fines in five years and report back on those amounts adjusted for inflation.
McKelvie acknowledged that there will be pushback on the fines but said residents have an option to follow the rules and park legally.
"The thing that we really want is that if we didn't collect any money on parking offences in the City of Toronto, it would be a good day, because everybody was following the road, the rules of the road. Everybody was doing their part to keep people safe. Everybody was doing their part to make sure that we're easing congestion on the roads," she said.
According to the report, the current fines are out of step with the penalties for parking violations in nearby municipalities.
The report stated that most penalty amounts currently range between $15 and $60, which are "generally lower" than the fines for similar offences in surrounding jurisdictions.
"Most penalty amounts have been left generally unchanged (in Toronto) since their enactment and are not automatically adjusted for inflation," the report read.
"The recommended increase in penalty amounts will ensure better alignment with penalty amounts in other jurisdictions, encourage compliance, ensure certain offences are set at levels commensurate with the seriousness of the offence, and ensure that offences within the same categories are set at the same penalty amount for consistency."
Based on the volume of tickets issued in 2023, the city could see an additional $62 million in revenue as a result of the increased fines, though staff expect that actual revenue would be somewhere between $40 and $50 million.
The recommendations come after fines increased from $30 to $75 for drivers caught illegally parking on municipal and private property back in December.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
At least 13 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least 13 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.