Eastern Ontario mayor wants to clamp tires on out-of-province vehicles for parking tickets

The Town of Gananoque, Ont. (Nate Vandedrmeer/CTV News Ottawa)

An eastern Ontario mayor now wants to clamp down on all out-of-province drivers who receive a parking ticket to ensure they pay the fine before leaving town, after initially proposing rules to target Quebec drivers only.

Gananoque Mayor John Beddows released a 27-point “Mayoral Directive” at the end of August under the new strong mayor powers, calling “supplemental guidance” for municipal staff when drafting the 2026 and 2027 budgets.

Under five proposals for the Parking Bylaw, Beddows proposes amending the town’s rules to “permit clamping of tires of Quebec-plated vehicles on issuance of a parking ticket” until the fine is paid.

In an update to the “Mayoral Directive” on Tuesday afternoon, Beddows recommended amending the parking bylaw to permit “clamping of fires of out-of-province vehicles on issuance of a parking ticket.”

Beddows proposes the town create a new class of parking tickets for clamped vehicles, “which includes full cost recovery of clamping and unclamping the vehicle.”

The mayor didn’t respond to a request for an interview with CTV News Ottawa on Tuesday.

In a statement on Facebook on Aug. 25, Beddows notes Ontario drivers are prevented from registering their car or renewing a licence plate until outstanding fines are paid.

“Ontario and Québec don’t have a reciprocal agreement on this question. This means that a resident of Québec who gets a parking ticket in Ontario suffers no consequence if they don’t pay,” Beddows said.

“This means that residents of Gananoque who get parking tickets and don’t pay face significant consequences, while residents of Québec face no consequences for non-payment. This is, by definition, an unfair system where the rules are only enforceable for residents of Ontario.”

At least one town councillor says the proposal seems excessive.

“Is being strong handed on what’s less than $2,000 worth of unpaid parking tickets an issue? It probably isn’t,” said councillor Dave Osmond.

“That’s probably a good learning step for this council and probably a good learning experience for the previous council, who were in the same boat, trying to use ‘strong mayor’ powers in new business.”

A Quebec resident who visits Gananoque regularly said the proposal, “seems like a lot to do about nothing.

“It wouldn’t keep us away, but it sure puts a bad taste in your mouth,” Howard Martin said Tuesday.

Osmond says he does not expect the mayor’s proposal to be implemented.

“Sometimes different solutions will come out of a problem that’s there and this might have just been one idea, one option. I fully expect it to get changed,” he said.

“I think it was kind of like ‘I have an idea’ and the mayor wanted to see what kind of traction it would get. But I can’t see it flying and I’m pretty sure in our next meeting that’s the direction it will go.”

Council passed a motion on Sept. 2 recommending Beddows present supplemental information on his directive to council on Sept. 16.

Beddows also proposes to lower the cost of parking at meters to $1 an hour instead of the current rate of $1 for 40 minutes and charge for parking on South Street during June, July and August.

Other proposals in the Mayoral Directive include:

• Ice rate fees increase at Lous Jeffries Arena
• Marina fees increased to five per cent below the average regional rate for similar berths with similar services
• Solicit sponsors for flower beds in exchange for naming rights and tax receipts
• Analyze the impact on long-term amortization of useful life of road-beds of speed reductions in alleys to 26 km/h and on most streets to 40 km/h
• Explore leasing space in municipal lots to EV charging service providers
• Include the cost of expanding childcare spaces at the Kinsman Hall Daycare in the 2026 budget

In May, the Ontario government expanded the strong mayor powers to 169 municipalities, including the mayor of Gananoque. The mayor has the authority to bring items to council that advance certain provincial priorities and to veto any bylaw adopted by council, and can propose items for the town’s budget.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Austin Lee