Centre Wellington Township says it is moving away from its current parking enforcement provider and will work to develop an “in-house” solution. In May, the township launched a new paid parking system for visitors, but on June 10th the system went offline after QR codes meant to direct people to a payment platform instead sent users to a pornography website. Since then, the system has been offline and parking enforcement in downtown Elora was paused. CTV News reached out to Centre Wellington Township on three occasions since June 10th for an interview, but were denied every time. The township confirmed the decision to move away from the parking enforcement vendor was made during a closed council session. When asked if the move was related to June incident, township staff replied in an email saying, “The Township reviews the services that are provided by contractors regularly and determined that it was best to bring the program in-house.” Alpha Technology System Inc. was the vendor responsible for parking enforcement. Business owner Erika Montero said she has been searching for details since the initial incident in June. She is also a candidate to represent Ward 1 in the upcoming municipal election. “There was no information or timelines provided, which is concerning. That’s probably the most frustrating part for everybody,” said Montero, the owner of Blackbird Consignment in Elora. She would like more clarity around the initial incident and the company who had been running the township’s parking program. “We don’t understand why you can’t tell us what is happening and why that press release still didn’t have information about what was it that happened in the first place,” Montero said. “My questions with the vendor is just how did the vendor get approved and when did the vendor get approved?” An update on the township’s website said, “We recognize the frustration that residents, businesses, and visitors have experienced as a result of the lack of paid parking and consistent enforcement during this busy tourism season. Township staff are actively working on paid parking options that will support an effective, consistent, and well-managed in-house service.“ Sophie Hogan, another candidate to represent Ward 1, also weighed in. “The new parking kiosks have not been in use since just after the launch date in the spring when there was an embarrassing technical glitch,” she wrote. “It is my understanding that the township has decided recently to move the parking program to ‘in-house’ after parting ways with Alpha Parking Solutions. Tourists are enjoying the free parking but Elora is missing out on substantial revenue over the past few months.” Lisa Macdonald is the current councillor for Ward 1 and is also running for reelection. She did not provide a statement to CTV News. The township said any further information will be shared as staff finalize a strategy.
