If you’re not a resident, it will be tougher to find parking in Innisfil this summer.
On June 11, Innisfil council voted to designate a number of municipal lots for resident parking only.
The move comes as the province heads into Phase 2 of its re-opening plan.
Some councillors voiced concern that residents from other parts of the province that have not yet progressed to Phase 2 might try to visit town, putting resident health at risk.
“If you're going to come to another town where the rules are relaxed and not take care of yourself you're putting Innisfil residents at risk,” councillor Kenneth Fowler said, suggesting bylaw needs more tools to deal with this type of situation.
Mayor Lynn Dollin noted the town has advertisements, and has done media interviews to let people know that the parking is for Innisfil residents only and that the trip isn’t worth it.
She said they can’t form a wall, or check every pedestrians ID to make sure they are from town, noting the extensive resources that would be required.
“The most efficient way to do that is to limit places people can park,” she said.
As such, the following lots will be limited to resident parking only:
• 9th Line Road End
• 10th Line Park
• 12th/Mapleview Line Park and lot
• 30th Sideroad North Road End and Dock
• Guest Road Lot
• Shore Acres (Neilly Road Lot)
• Belle Ewart Park
• Innisfil Beach Park lots A, B, C, E, and F.
Council also gave authority to the CAO to add other lots to the resident-only list, or to open lots to the public based on recommendations from the town’s emergency control group.
Town staff say these measures will help with the gradual reopening of the town’s beaches.
Mayor Dollin said that the town’s beaches will not be ready to open on June 12, the date that Ontario provincial parks have been given to reopen.
“There is no way we're going to be able to have our beaches open for tomorrow, we just cannot physically make it happen,” she said, adding the town has to be measured in their approach, or they risk the health unit imposing restrictions again. “The last thing we want to do is go backwards, you want to open and stay open.”
Jason Inwood, the town’s director of operations, said that resident only parking signage will be erected as soon as possible, and residents will see a variety of techniques including fencing at the aforementioned locations.
“If we do get a nice, hot summer Saturday, are we going to be able to handle the by law enforcement?” Mayor Dollin asked.
Barrie Vickers, the town’s chief building official, said they’ve hired summer students to help with bylaw and that two building inspectors have also been redeployed to help.
“We've also started the works of talking about how other municipal staff can get trained and deputized to write parking tickets,” he said. “We're looking to have more ticket writers on the ground than we really ever had before.”
Council shared concern for bylaw officers who have been working around the clock, and who sometimes find themselves the victims of verbal abuse through the course of their job.
“Just be kind,” Mayor Dollin said. “This is a difficult situation, we are doing absolutely everything we can do within our resources."
Shane MacDonald, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Barrie Advance
