Parking tickets in evacuated area to be waived, city says

By Stephanie Waddell on February 9, 2016

If you were forced to leave your car downtown last Friday due to the evacuation of some streets and received a parking ticket, the city may waive it.

At Monday’s city council meeting, city manager Christine Smith confirmed the city will waive any tickets that were issued in the evacuated area for up to an hour after the streets reopened.

Smith was responding to Mayor Dan Curtis, who had asked about the tickets being issued so shortly after the streets reopened.

The closure was in effect for Main, Elliott and Steele streets from Third Avenue down to Front Street.

The area was evacuated as the RCMP investigated a possible suspicious package found at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce earlier in the day.

The streets reopened shortly before 2:30 p.m. after the RCMP’s explosives disposal unit determined the package was not a threat. Police have declined to describe the package’s contents.

Those who had to leave the area had to leave their vehicles behind, with their parking meter time clocking out.

Once the roads reopened, a city parking meter attendant ticketed vehicles for expired meters in the area that had been left there in light of the evacuation.

One eyewitness has said as soon as the barricades came down, the bylaw officer started writing tickets.

The situation has ignited a number of comments on social media, including one resident noting a ticket being issued at 2:29 p.m.

Senior bylaw constable Tom Wyers told the Star Monday that no tickets were issued in the area during the street closure, and that just one complaint came in over the weekend about a ticket being issued shortly after the streets reopened.

It was not clear exactly how many tickets might have been issued.

Wyers said the department would be looking into the matter to determine if tickets would be waived and determining exactly what a reasonable amount of time would be for drivers to have retrieved their vehicles after the streets were opened again.

Curtis sought an update on the situation last night. Smith then noted the city will waive tickets issued up to an hour after the streets opened again just before 2:30 p.m.

That means anyone who was parked in the evacuated area and was issued a ticket for an expired meter shortly before 3:30 p.m. can have it waived.

Smith said those with tickets wanting to have them excused can bring them into city hall to do so.

Tickets for expired meters in the city carry a fine of $10 if paid within 24 hours or $25 if paid after the initial 24 hours have elapsed.

Comments (7)

Up 0 Down 0

Concern ME on Feb 17, 2016 at 4:48 am

People always complain ...you don't know how hard it is for the officers to do a parking meter attendant job. If you are just vigilant then you don't have a problem with having a ticket. On that matter, after the RCMP declared that the package was just a piece of nothing of course the on duty PMA was just doing his job. You people are just thinking of your own benefits.

Up 3 Down 48

Alan Miner on Feb 10, 2016 at 12:49 pm

I think bylaw and the mayor realized very quickly that there should have been a longer grace period. Lets move on folks. Thanks Mayor Curtis for reacting so quickly.

My concern about the bylaw officers is that they are too lenient, congenial and generous and chose to offer warnings and participate in public education when a ticket and fine would be a better deterrent in many situations.

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Werner Rhein on Feb 10, 2016 at 11:27 am

How can it be that in an evacuated area a bylaw officer is allowed to enter this area and starts to write tickets. Is that not a contradiction to common sense but this shows exactly to how much common sense this whole ticket writing in the downtown core of Whitehorse makes.
This needs a big time change not only of the manager in the bylaw department but in city planning in general. Where is that large underground parking in the next big building that goes up.

Up 22 Down 2

Sweet Comeuppance pending? on Feb 10, 2016 at 9:41 am

What I'm waiting for here is a fine from the Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board being levied on the City of Whitehorse Bylaw Department. Why was one of their employees venturing into an evacuated area? Doesn't that qualify as "dangerous" to worker safety?

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Woodcutter on Feb 9, 2016 at 6:35 pm

Imagine going to the bank during your lunch break and then having to leave your vehicle there during this emergency. You go back to work, and can't "reasonably ' return until 5:30. Seems your SOL. Really city taxpayers, are we getting our money's worth from our by-law program? How did this city get to this point? Does Dan the man think all people are able to leave their jobs at anytime to retrieve their car? Shame on the city council for propping up a by-law program that we have here. It's a disgrace

Up 56 Down 3

Jimmy on Feb 9, 2016 at 4:34 pm

I would like the individual responsible to publicly acknowledge that they were wrong and be reprimanded for it. It is unnerving to have a bylaw officer with such a poor lack of judgement upholding the law.

Up 47 Down 1

Darryl on Feb 9, 2016 at 4:23 pm

There you go...money money money...I understand that's the bylaw department managers mindset. All about money. He doesn't treat it like an enforcement department, but instead he treats it like a financial department and makes money by tickets wherever he can. A changing of the guard for the manager is what's needed in that department for a fresh outlook and to have new confidence from the public in that Department.

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