Winnipeg parking ticket changes lead to impounded vehicles being released

Motorists who have had their vehicles impounded in Winnipeg due to unpaid parking tickets can get them back now, thanks to changes the city has made to its parking ticket process.

The City of Winnipeg announced that it has updated the wording on tickets and changed how the Winnipeg Parking Authority files its paperwork with the provincial court.

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The changes came after city officials learned that parts of their ticketing process did not comply with the provincial Summary Convictions Act.

"The city's parking tickets have, in fact, always been valid, the city's parking bylaws have been valid and the city has the valid authority to enact its parking bylaws and enforce those under the City of Winnipeg Charter," Michael Jack, the city's chief operating officer, told reporters on Friday afternoon.

"What did become apparent to us over the last several months was that in order to avail itself of the enforcement and collection mechanisms under the Summary Convictions Act that the way the process was being administered required some changes that involves not only how the city was dealing with tickets once issued, but also how those tickets were being dealt with at provincial court."

In a news release, Jack said the changes being made means "vehicles that have been impounded due to unpaid parking tickets are being released to their owners, and collection will no longer be pursued on outstanding parking tickets that were issued more than six years ago."

That means motorists with unpaid parking tickets over six years old won't face collection anymore. However, those who paid their tickets won't get a refund.

"If you've paid it, you've paid it under a ticket that was valid under the city's valid parking bylaw, and we're not contemplating refunds at this time," Jack said.

Drivers with outstanding parking tickets issued within the past six years will still have to pay them — that is, with the exception of winter parking ban tickets that were issued before Dec. 11, 2015, and any fines associated with a vehicle that was liened, the city said.

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The exception came about as a result of a separate case in which the city acknowledged it had issued thousands of parking tickets that were issued under the winter residential parking ban did not warn motorists with proper signage.

Motorists who want to contest parking tickets issued before March 24 will need to go directly to the Winnipeg Parking Authority.

Under the new process, drivers can still have the parking authority review their tickets for errors, but they can contest the tickets in court if they don't agree with the authority's review.