Parishioners at a downtown Ottawa church say they were issued wrongful parking tickets during worshipping hours. On Monday, four vehicles parked on Nepean Street near Kent Street were issued parking tickets during a 7:30am morning mass. The tickets were issued at approximately 7:50 a.m. despite city signs allowing free parking until 8 a.m. “[One driver] showed me that she was parked in an area clearly marked that the parking is free until 8 a.m., and the ticket was marked at 7:52 a.m.,” said Father Steve Amesse, Rector at Saint Patrick Basilica. Parking signs on Nepean Street say no parking is allowed Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. After contacting the city and bylaw, the tickets were retracted. “By-law and Regulatory Services (BLRS) officers do their best to ensure all tickets issued are accurate. However, mistakes can sometimes occur due to human error,” Ottawa bylaw said in a statement to CTV News. “In this instance, the four tickets issued near Saint Patrick Basilica on the morning of August 24 were issued in error. As soon as the error was identified, the tickets were cancelled. We apologize to the residents affected and understand that receiving a ticket in error can be frustrating.” Father Amesse says the ticketing bylaw officer returned to the church to apologize for the error. But this isn’t the first time parking tickets have been issued in these circumstances, and Amesse is worried it will continue to happen. “A couple of weeks ago, I got a $50 ticket for parking on Kent Street during the time you’re not supposed to get a ticket,” said Mimi Wilson, a parishioner at Saint Patrick for 20 years. “It’s pretty clear that I can park here from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and I got the ticket during that period.” There are concerns from many at the church that ticketing for parking will become more aggressive in September when federal workers return from summer vacations. As of Sept. 1, new parking rules are coming into effect in the downtown core to help keep traffic moving, including extensions to peak morning and afternoon no parking and no stopping times, and increased fines for violators. “I could see it could becoming worse here at Saint Pat’s because they will be trying to ticket people,” said parishioner Lois Duncan. “If you park too early if you want to go in and go to confession, you arrive before mass. If you want to stay afterwards and pray, you have to be concerned. That’s not right that they should target this area.” Father Amesse is also worried about the impacts parking tickets could have on his congregation, as well as the surrounding community, with many patronizing local businesses after service finishes. “[Another who received a ticket] told me, I don’t know if I want to come back downtown. And we have a lot of people coming to church. We obviously want them to come to church.”
