Montreal postpones parking meter rate hike

New seniors homes hope to curb spread of illnesses Quebec is moving ahead with plans to build new seniors homes aimed at preventing the transmission of infections.

MONTREAL — The City of Montreal is postponing a scheduled hike to parking meter rates.

On Thursday, the city said in a statement the planned raise of $0.25 per hour will be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic until the crisis passes.

The hike was announced during the fall budget and was supposed to go into effect on April 1.

The price of metered parking varies across the city, where it can be as low as $1.50 per hour in the Southwest borough, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Rosemont-Petite-Patrie or as high as $3.50 per hour in the downtown area and the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

On Thursday the city also said it will designate 150 parking spots for healthcare workers to them ensure easier access to hospital sites.