Thunder Bay parking authority proposes higher rates, closing underused lots

Higher rates, closing underused parking lots, and a no-free-parking policy are being proposed for the city of Thunder Bay.

The changes are being presented to city council on Monday in a new, 10-yearParking Authority Financial Plan. Council has not yet approved any of the proposals.

And those proposals are wide-ranging, aimed at helping the city's parking authority achieve financial stability.

They include:

• An increase in parking fees starting in 2024, with inflationary increases in subsequent years;
• The closure of five underused parking lots in the city (Camelot, Crooks, Machar, Viscount, and Nesco) by June 1, 2024;
• Introduce paid parking at the city marina, including the Market Square lot;
• Extended parking enforcement timesif approved, enforcement would run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday (enforcement currently takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday), and
• Develop a no free parking policy, which would be presented to council by March 25, 2024.

The proposed parking fee increases would affect meters, lots, and parkades.

Under the plan, metered parking rates on city streets and in city lots would increase from $1.50 an hour to $2 an hour in 2024, with further increases of 25 centsan hour every two years starting in 2025.

Average fines would increasefrom $25.56 to $32, and monthly spot rentals in parkades would rise to $90 from $61.88 starting next year.

Monthly spot rentals in city lots would also increase to $70 from $50.42 at the same time, and marina parking would cost $3 per hour.

Karen Lewis, the city's general manager of corporate services, said the proposed increases are intended to address sustainability of the city's parking operations.

"The last three years have been difficult with the pandemic, and if it weren't for Safe Restart funding and [Stabilization Reserve funds], we would have consumed, really, the parking reserve."

"So it was important to take the time to do a 10-year financial plan to look at financial viability, to make sure that we havethe available and diversity of parking that we need, that it remains affordable in the long term, plan for capital renewal, and really work towards becoming a self-sustaining operation."

Lewis said all the proposed changes are based on parking operations in similar Ontario markets. For example, the average comparable rate for street meter parking is $1.96 per hour, and the average monthly cost of space rentals in parkadesis about $140 per month.

"One of the things that is really important to remember is that the reality is, there's no such thing as free parking," Lewis said. "Either the users pay for parking or the taxpayers pay."

"One of the goals of this plan is to make the parking operations self-sustaining so it's not drawing on the tax base, and it's fairly common for municipalities to charge for parking in prime locations."

Kara Pratt, executive director of Thunder Bay's Waterfront District business improvement area, said she understands the need to increase parking rates in the city.

However, Pratt said she believes some changes should be made to the proposals, and would like to see the city hold off implementing them in the north core area until ongoing reconstruction work is complete.

For example, Pratt said she hopes the city will hold off on deciding whether to sell any parking lots in the north core area for the time being.

"There is going to be a reduction of parking on Red River Road, and they really should see how that plays out before they make a unilateral decision on selling off the Crooks Streetparking lot that's behind the Ruttan building, and potentially the one that's close to the PwC building, which is the Camelot lot."

Another potential issue is raising the cost of parking in parkades, as Pratt said downtown businesses rent 15 or 20 spots for employee use.

"They own buildings down here, they have lots of other expenses, and they're paying the same rate as an individual when they're purchasing multiple passes," she said. "Maybe economies of scale could be looked at."

Lewis said the public still has time to provide input on the plan. After it's presented to council on Monday, it will be posted on the city's Get Involved website until Jan. 8.

Any public comments will be presented to council on Jan. 22. The recommendations will also be debated then, and if approved, implemented on June 1.