Winnipeg to stop handing out Saturday tickets until drivers have 'clarity' on downtown free parking: Wardrop

The city's transportation director says the Winnipeg Parking Authority will immediately stop issuing tickets in the first two hours of downtown Saturday parking, citing unclear stickers on parking meters.

Dave Wardrop sent an email late Christmas Eve to councillors and Mayor Brian Bowman acknowledging the change after CBC News broke the story about people being ticketed in the Exchange District Saturday, Dec. 23.

"Until such time as we've achieved proper clarity, the WPA will not be issuing tickets within the first two hours on Saturdays in the immediate future," the email stated. 

The confusion stems from a sticker on all downtown parking meters that says, "2 hours complimentary on Saturday." A Winnipeg resident says she witnessed cars being ticketed and asked the parking attendant handing out tickets why, since she believed the first two hours of parking were free.

She said the attendant told her that wasn't the case and to check the city of Winnipeg's website, which had the rule posted under Meter Payment Methods.

"The Winnipeg Parking Authority offers two-hour complimentary parking on Saturdays when maximum on-street paid parking time is purchased," a City of Winnipeg spokesperson said in an emailed statement to CBC. 

"The two-hour complimentary on-street parking offer applies at any time between 0800 and 1730 on Saturday and starts immediately following the maximum paid parking purchase. There have been no changes in terms of this policy, which was approved by council in 2012."

That was news to North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty, who said the first two hours of downtown parking have always been free and then people paid for an additional two hours, not the other way around.

"We haven't charged for parking on Saturdays downtown for as long as I can remember, two hours of complimentary parking on-street," said Browaty, adding after two free hours, payment was enforced through ticketing.

Internet archives show the city updated its parking website to reflect the rules sometime between June and December of 2017.

Previously, the city's website did not specify that the two hours of free parking came into effect after the first two hours were paid for, saying simply, "The two-hour complimentary parking offer applies at any time between 0800 and 1730 on Saturday."

Wardrop confirmed in his email that the website was changed in 2017.

"Earlier this year, it was brought to the WPA's attention that some of the public found the information related to the program unclear, and as a result, the WPA recently updated its website. It is acknowledged that the wording contained in the stickers affixed to downtown pay stations could very reasonably lead one to conclude that the first two hours of parking are complimentary, not the first two after the maximum."

Changing the website and not doing any other communication was not the way to handle the change, said Browaty.

"The parking authority can't just update their website and expect that to be the new standard. They should know much better that people's expectations were still getting two hours of free parking on Saturdays. Before any change was made, it should be communicated out. 

I believe we should be seeking out the people who were ticketed and if anybody's paid, to reimburse them, and for anybody who hasn't paid for the ticket, to issue them an apology and to cancel the ticket.- Coun. Jeff Browaty

"In this case, being a fairly major change, it should be much better signage on each of the parking pay stations, there should have been a media announcement made out, as well as perhaps some paid advertising making the public aware of this change."

The change also should have been done in consultation with groups like the Downtown BIZ, who said Saturday they did not know of the change and therefore did not update their website to reflect it, said Browaty.

The email from Wardrop was a good first step, said Browaty, but it "doesn't answer the question about people who have been ticketed."

"I believe we should be seeking out the people who were ticketed on the 23rd and if anybody's paid, to reimburse them, and for anybody who hasn't paid for the ticket, to issue them an apology and to cancel the ticket."