Parking Downtown

1. A special parking permit may be obtained by any social service agency or health care provider, at no cost, for the use of their staff or volunteers while providing services requiring the transportation of clients or patients to and from the downtown or other area that has a posted time limit for parking.
   
2. Permits will only be issued to the social service agency or health care provider to monitor and ensure proper use.
3. Individuals will not be provided permits.
4. To obtain the permits the social service agency or health care provider must submit a request on their letterhead to Bylaw Services indicating the following information:
• Contact information of an authorized person of the social service agency or health care provider, and contact information for who will manage their permits.
• The type of work the staff do.
• The number of permits they require. The numbers of permits issued will be determined by the need of each social service agency or health care provider. For example if there will only be three staff transporting clients to and from the downtown at any given time, only three will be issued even if they may have 20 staff members.
5. The following are the conditions for their use:
• They are for use only when staff are actively transporting clients or patients.
• Permits are only required Monday to Friday 7:00am to 5:00pm.
• Permits are to be hung from the rear view mirror only.
• Special parking permits are for on-street parking only and are not valid in any off-street lot unless otherwise allowed by Bylaw Services.
• Any misuse of the permits may result in the social service agency or health care provider having their permits cancelled.
• Permits will expire one year from the date of issue unless otherwise indicated on the permit and must be renewed by the social service agency or health care provider following the requirements outlined in Step 4.
• At the discretion of the Manager of Bylaw Services or designate, special parking permits may also be issued when circumstances deem it necessary.
  

1. Bylaw Services may issue one or more volunteer parking permits, at no cost, to any volunteer organization, service club, or group for the use of their volunteers while doing their volunteer work in an area that has a posted time limit for parking.
2. Permits may be issued to the organization to monitor and ensure proper use.
3. Individuals will not be provided permits.
4. To obtain the permits the organization must submit a request to Bylaw Services, on the organizations letter head indicating the following information:
• Contact information of an authorized person of the organization, and contact information for who will manage their permits.
• The type of work the volunteers do.
• The number of permits they require. The numbers of permits issued will be determined by the need of each organization. For example if there will only be three volunteers parking in the downtown at any given time, only three will be issued to the organization even if they may have 20 volunteers.
5. The following are the conditions for their use:
• They are for volunteer use only and not for the use of paid employees.
• Permits are only required Monday to Friday 7:00am to 5:00pm.
• Permits are to be hung from the rear view mirror only while performing volunteer duties only.
• Volunteer permits are for on-street parking only and are not valid in any off-street lot.
• Any misuse of the permits may result in the organization having their permits cancelled.
6. Permits will expire one year from the date of issue and must be renewed by the organization following the requirements outlined in Step 4.

This initiative is aimed at reducing the number of chronic offenders in timed zones, not to punish casual visitors and shoppers downtown. Residents who believe they received a parking notice in error may dispute it by completing an Online Ticket Dispute Form or by calling 250-561-7622.

• Submit an Online Ticket Dispute Form
  

The amended bylaws and license plate recognition system went live in November 2016.

The system is in effect Monday to Friday during regular business days from 7:00am to 5:00pm. There is no charge for off-street and on-street parking stalls during all other hours and days of the week.

If you intend to park downtown for more than three hours during the day on a regular business day, please park in the off-street lots (refer to the map above). The charge for parking in these lots is $1 per hour or $6 per day. There are also privately-owned lots available for rent.

The bylaws will only affect the downtown area from Scotia Street to Winnipeg Street, First Avenue to 12th Avenue, including Patricia Boulevard.

It costs $1 per hour or $6 per day to park in an off-street lot. Monthly rates range from $57.00 to $141.00 plus taxes. Note that the parkade with the highest rate is fully occupied with a significant waiting list.

Most fines will be $50 (an increase from the current $25 fine for a first infraction). The $50 fine is consistent with fines levied through the City's Off-Street Parking Bylaw. Fines for violating timed zones will increase for repeat offenders after two offences. Fines for more serious safety issues like obstructing fire hydrants or crosswalks will increase to $75. Fines for parking in disabled stalls will increase to $100.

• Learn more about the Off-Street Parking Bylaw