Veterans will soon get free year-round parking in Quebec City

All Canadian Armed Forces members with veterans' licence plates will be able to apply for free parking on the streets of Quebec City year-round starting in the spring of 2025.

For now, they can only do so on Nov. 11, Remembrance Day.

Parking has been free for veterans for at least five years in other Quebec cities including Cowansville, Louiseville, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières. Vancouver also has free parking for veterans.

Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand says the move will cost the city about $250,000 to $300,000 per year.

"It's not a real cost. It's blocking some money that would have come to us," he told CBC Quebec's Breakaway host Alison Brunette.

The move was something he campaigned on.

"It's a matter of recognition," said Marchand. "Recognition for men and women who served in the army and that gave to us probably one of the best parts of their own life in order to serve, in order to protect us, in order to protect peace on Earth."

The mayor says that the response from veterans to this decision has been "very touching." 

He said he expected to get more criticism about the move, but so far he says it has been minimal.

But to those who asked him why he offers this opportunity to veterans and not to others, he replies: "it's because they were in the army. It's because of what they did. It's because of I don't know how many birthdays of their own children they were not there because they were serving."

"It's, I would say, a very good reason that is not possible to, I would say, argue." 

Veteran Mario Grenier says he had been pushing for this initiative long before Marchand was elected. 

"I'm very happy to hear what he's doing," he said.

Grenier joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1972 and became a veteran on Oct. 18, 1998.

He created a club called Vétéran Héro Canada and has been advocating for free parking for veterans for 12 years.

"To be stuck in my basement and crying over what I did or what I've done or what I've seen, that's why I do these projects. To take my mind off," he said.

Mixed feelings from veterans

In the coming months, veterans will be invited to register with Quebec City to obtain a credit on the Copilote+ application, which is a mobile app for urban transportation. Each time they pay for parking, they'll be able to use that credit.

Veteran André Lavallée welcomed the news when he first heard about it on Monday.

"We were very pleased with the idea. We have a credit for the parking which is great," said the member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 265 from Quebec City.

But Lavallée anticipates a few obstacles.

He says access to free parking will be complicated for some veterans who don't have a phone or who aren't very familiar with technology.

And he pointed out the potential barriers that veterans from other cities might encounter. He says they will need the application and to be registered with the city.

He would prefer if Quebec City, like some other cities in the province, just required a veterans' licence plate to qualify for free parking.

Further information will be made available to veterans over the winter. People currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces who meet certain criteria will also be able to apply.

In Montreal, owners of vehicles with a commemorative licence plate featuring a poppy are entitled to free on-street parking during the week preceding Remembrance Day.