Submitted by Councillor S. Menard
Our office is aware of the significant asymmetry of the effect that the same fine can have on different residents. For the luxury car illegally parked near Lansdowne, a parking fine might just be the price they are willing to pay to attend an event, for others, a parking ticket fine could be the difference between them being able to afford their grocery bill at the end of the month.
Other jurisdictions have addressed this inherent inequality through introducing a system of fines geared to income. This has been the case in some Scandinavian countries, including Finland. It has also been raised as a possibility recently in the city of Winnipeg.
Just last year, a survey conducted by Research Co. found that a majority Canadians support tying speeding ticket fines to income. This suggests that there may be an appetite for this approach to fair fines when it comes to parking fines.
Given that Ottawa is looking to move ahead with an Administrative Penalty System that allows the city more of a prerogative when it comes to the administration of penalties, can staff please review both the possibility and feasibility of a sliding scale for parking fines that is geared to income, or other potential proxies for ability to pay, such as the blue book value of a car?