Anyone thinking about parking in a no parking zone or camping illegally in Prince Edward County may want to think twice before moving forward.
At Tuesday’s Prince Edward County council meeting, council voted on and approved a list of new and much tougher charges and fees for the tourism season.
Anyone caught parking in a designated no parking zone between May 1 and October 31 will now get stuck with a $400 fine for their troubles.
The list of designated no parking zones includes:
- Hillier Ward, Winn’s Drive and Sheba’s Island and the area on County Road 13 adjacent to Little Bluff Conservation Area
- The areas adjacent to Sandbanks Provincial Park, including County Road 12, County Road 18 and Lakeshore Lodge Road
- The No Parking area on County Road 7 at the Lake on the Mountain Provincial Park, expanded to include both sides of the road in that location and be included in the increased fine areas
- County Road 18, extended to Salmon Point Road, and that 250 metres of the westerly limits of Salmon Point Road be designated as No Parking either side
- County Road 12, both sides, from the entrance to 2028 County Road 12 to the intersection at Lakeshore Lodge Road.
- County Road 20 (Huyck’s Point Road) both sides at a distance of 200 metres from the westerly limits
During the meeting it was clarified that, with regards to the no parking zone at Lake on the Mountain, the zone falls between 230 County Road 7 and 326 County Road 7 on both sides of the road.
Councillor Bill McMahon expressed concern about the May to October time frame on the parking fees citing North Beach Road as an area that closes down before the October end date for the new and heavier fines.
“I’m just wondering, should we reconsider the length of time for this particular section of road because I cannot support it this particular way. I’ve received a number of phone calls and emails and I’m sure other councillors have and I really have a tough time justifying why we are ticketing people in the so-called shoulder season”
Councillor McMahon was told by Chief Administrative Officer Marcia Wallace that the matter they were voting on was the dollar amount of the fees and that the time frame had already been decided at an earlier meeting.
Clerk Chad Curtis chimed in to say that because of that fact, the matter could not be brought back before four regular council meetings have elapsed unless it received two thirds of council support and, if it did and failed in a decision vote, it could not be discussed again for one calendar year.
After consideration and more discussion, Councillor McMahon decided to wait until four meetings have elapsed (June 22) to see about bringing the matter back up for discussion.
Councillor Brad Nieman brought up the idea that $400 was too high a number for the fine. councillors Jamie Forrester, John Hirsch, and Janice Maynard all agreed that the high number is necessary saying that while the number is high, it’s needed to avoid situations similar to those seen in the summer of 2020.
“We’re looking at the fees and we thought we had to put in fees that were high enough that they were going to be a true deterrent. A deterrent to people in various economic conditions because for some a $35 ticket or $100 ticket would be enough to make it not feasible to park there. But for others, we know that it’s an outing and that’s why we had to raise them to what hopefully will be a deterrent.”
Mayor Steve Ferguson echoed this saying that he had no problem with the steep price of the fine.
A new system for paying to use boat launches was also approved under this report. Boat launch users will now pay to park instead of paying to launch. People with vehicles that have trailers will pay $20 and people with vehicles without trailers will pay $10.
There will also be season passes available to county residents for $50 and $100 for non-residents.
Residents will need to buy their pass at Shire Hall and provide proof of residency.
The list of affected boat launches includes:
- Wellington Beach
- McFarland Park/Loyalist Parkway
- Glendon Green/County Road 18
- Mabel Kleinsteuber/County Road 12
- Big Island/County Road 21
- Northport Centennial Park
- Prinyers Cove
- Rossmore/ Ridley Street
- Wellers Bay/Edward Drive
Anyone who has already purchased a season pass under the old system will be reimbursed for any over-payment and will get a season pass. The new system comes into effect June 1.
In an effort to deter people from camping illegally the fine for unauthorized camping has been increased from $75 to $500.
Councillor Kate MacNaughton said she was concerned that the new, higher fine would target people experiencing homelessness.
“Regarding the $500 for camping in forbidden areas, is there some flexibility? Is there room to have it be considered up to $500 in case there are reasons for compassionate, or compassionate grounds for a reduction? Just considering if there are issues with homelessness that have led to people finding some alternative solutions, are there ways to be flexible with that fee?”
Councillor MacNaughton was assured by Chief Building and By-law Enforcement Official Andy Harrison that the fines are geared towards tourists and seasonal campers who set up tents for a night or two at places like Wellington Beach or the Picton Fairgrounds and that the intent is not for staff to enforce this by-law against people experiencing homelessness.
To see the full staff report, click here.
