SpikeyLee

Have you guys heard about this? I only heard about it recently and decided to look it up.

Tor Star article from Aug. 2004

Tor Star article from Sept. 2004

Apparently, there is a new bylaw in Toronto that prohibits private companies (ie. Imperial Parking, the "Green P" people, etc.) from handing out parking tickets.

Supposedly if you get a parking ticket from one of these companies, you're supposed to hand it over to the Police and they'll charge the company for handing out an "illegal" ticket.

Has anyone heard anything more recent about this? And my sister got a ticket at a Green P parking lot, should I tell her to not pay it?

motti

They can hand out tickets even in privately-owned lots, but the tickets they hand out must be standard City of Toronto parking tickets with a City of Toronto logo and the fine payable to the City of Toronto.

Green P parking lots are owned by the Toronto Parking Authority which is in turn owned by the City of Toronto. Tickets issued on their property are official tickets under the Provincial Offences Act, are enforcable, and if not paid will result in your next license plate renewal being denied for non-payment.

Also, non-payment means that a $20 ticket can very quickly become a $66 ticket, and non-payment can appear on your credit rating.

Just check the ticket to see if it has the proper payment address on it.

City of Toronto
Parking Tag Operations
Box 8500, Postal Stations "A"
Toronto, ON
M5W 2E1

There was a scam going years ago where scammers would place "look-alike" tickets on your car even if it was legally parked, even on the street, in hopes that you would just send money to the address indicated on the ticket without actually looking at the ticket to closely. I haven't heard of anything similar recently, but a lot of people back then were fooled by them.

But if the ticket has the City of Toronto logo and the city mailing address on it, the ticket is legit.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

hahaha that's a good scam!!! very nice, props for a creative scam

imported_GoldBadge

I remember that scam. I thought it was an awesome idea. The inventors must have made a killing.

imported_Bruce Fee

makes me want to get tickets are york u and have them fined.

J

thats extreme cases though, most of the time the will just make you pay the oustanding amount before the give you your new stickers....like in a few days i need to go get my stickers and instead of paying 72.00 bucks or whatever it is for one year, i'll be paying 204.00.

thats what i get for forgetting about tickets in my glove box

motti

You don't get your sticker until you do pay the outstanding tickets. Isn't that the same thing as denying renewal for non-payment of parking tickets?

J

ok i read it wrong

imported_D dot T

Do you have to pay for parking tickets you get on university property?

motti

If you want your marks you do.

Also, if you don't pay, the next time they see you they will tow your car to impound, and you won't get it back until you pay the towing and impound fees.

Paying the parking ticket is a lot less potential hassle. It's also the ethical thing to do.

After all, you generally don't get parking tickets at university except when you try to cheat on the parking lot fees. It's not much different from walking out of a store without paying for their services. You get caught, have the gumption to accept responsibility for your actions.

imported_kIeRaN

i got a parking lot ticket at my old college in the parking lot. The ticket was a joke so i didnt pay it. Its taped on my wall I also drove underneath the arm that allows u to get out without paying

motti

How is that any different from shoplifting?

Would you be just as proud to just openly say you are a thief?

imported_kIeRaN

nahh, my school screwed me over big time so i felt like screwing them over too

imported_D dot T

Well, I don't attend the university that I got the ticket from and I heard about this law so I didn't bother to pay it because I ain't got no marks to get from that university anyway. Besides, I'm sure the univ. isn't at a loss anyway, they getting enough ripping off students if you ask me.

motti

Not surprising. Most thieves of goods or services usually find a way to rationalize why their act of theft is not such a bad thing.

imported_D dot T

Man...you telling me you have never done at least one thing bad in your life? I'm sure you ain't no angel either so I dont see what the big fuss is about.

motti

Well, one, I don't steal. When you take something without paying for it, you are effectively stealing. That makes you a thief if that's what you do deliberately.

Still, maybe you didn't know at the time the parking wasn't free, so maybe you made an honest mistake. Fair enough, but the consequence of that mistake is a parking ticket.

Now, realizing that you made the mistake, you have an opportunity to accept the consequences of your mistake by paying the parking ticket that resulted from your mistake, whether that mistake was made deliberately or otherwise.

Doing so would show some sense of responsibility. But trying to evade and weasel out of it shows you to be irresponsible at best, and a thief and scofflaw at the other end.

I know that this is putting it rather harshly, but that is what it all boils down to in the end.

So.... how do you want to be known to others?

Nova_Dust

I have no idea how many parking tickets I have paid between the summer of 1999 to 2001. I worked downtown and everyday it was a battle between the parking enforcement officer and the spot. Of course, I paid all my tickets and I have saved them all.

I believe I have like a hundred of them at home, or maybe less... I sure made some contribution to the City of Toronto.

imported_Bruce Fee

stealing parking from universities is okay. they are scum.

the government wasting tax dollars is stealing as well if you wish to apply your logic motti.

Bovolu

in terms of york u..
i recently got a ticket for "road obstruction".. $100
i was in no way obstructing the road.. two other cars were parked in the same spot behind me but none of them got tickets.
im gonna try and fight it.. but if they dont throw it out im just gonna try not paying it
what are the consequences of not paying?