OttawaOttawa bylaw officers have handed out more than 1,600 parking tickets since new meters were installed along Wellington Street W. and Richmond Road last month, prompting a mixed response from residents and businesses.Bylaw officers issued 1,600 tickets in September along Wellington Street W., Richmond RoadCameron Mahler · CBC News · Posted: Oct 01, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours agoBylaw officers have issued more than 1,600 parking tickets along Wellington Street W. and Richmond Road since these pay-and-display machines were installed last month. (Francis Deschenes/CBC)Ottawa bylaw officers have handed out more than 1,600 parking tickets since new meters were installed along Wellington Street W. and Richmond Road last month, prompting a mixed response from residents and businesses.The city said it installed the pay-and-display machines to better manage curb-side parking and boost shopper turnover on the busy retail strip, but some businesses say the new meters aren’t having the desired effect.At Quelque Chose Patisserie, co-owner David Seba has noticed his shop has been quieter in recent weeks.”I feel like there’s less people now compared to right before that was implemented,” Seba said. “Before, [customers] would come chill, relax. Now they come and they’re worried that they could get a ticket.”Seba worries the loss of free parking removes the incentive that drove people to Westboro instead of other shopping districts in the city.”Now that we are the same as any other areas like the Glebe and ByWard [Market], they might as well go somewhere else,” he said.David Seba, co-owner of Quelque Chose Patisserie in Westboro, says he’s noticed a downturn in customer traffic since the parking meters appeared. (Francis Deschenes/CBC)’The complaining is up’At The Village Quire, owner Molly van der Schee said she’s not against paid parking in principle, but said the rollout could have been smoother.”I think it would have been a great idea had the city given a 30-minute grace for people who just need to run in and out of the little stores,” she said. Van der Schee said she’s concerned about some of the comments she’s seen online from people who say they’ll stop shopping in Westboro for fear of being ticketed.”That’s not fair and it’s discouraging,” she said. “If somebody has an issue with the paid parking, don’t be saying that you’re not going to shop [at a] small business because of it. Take it up with the city.”Van der Schee said instead, some of her customers have been voicing their frustrations to her.”The complaining is up, of course,” she said, adding that “sometimes people don’t know how to work the meters.”Molly van der Schee, owner of The Village Quire in Westboro, says customers have been complaining to her about the new parking rules. (Francis Deschenes/CBC)Bylaw issued warningsOut on the sidewalks of Westboro, people expressed a mix of frustration and support for the meters.”It was a complete surprise. They were just there one day out of the blue, no announcement, nothing,” said local resident Dominic Lacasse.According to an emailed statement attributed to the city’s associate director of bylaw services Jake Gravelle, between Sept. 3 and 8, bylaw officers “issued warnings to provide the public with time to become familiar with the new regulations.”Drivers found to be in violation of the new parking rules are subject to a $50 fine, which increases to $70 if not paid within 15 days.Richard Baker said he supports the meters.”It means that when I want to pop into a local shop, there’s always a parking spot available,” Baker said. “In the past, the parking spots would be taken up all day long.”Both van der Schee and Seba said they’ll wait to see whether shoppers adjust in the coming months, but Seba said he has his doubts.”If they park here and they get tickets, they’re not going to come back again,” he said.ABOUT THE AUTHORCameron is a journalist with CBC News. He’s worked with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo covering local news, municipal councils, and both the 2025 provincial and federal elections. Cameron also interned with CBC Toronto’s Enterprise Unit, helping to cover elements of the Greenbelt controversy. Contact Cameron with story ideas at cameron.mahler@cbc.ca. Follow Cameron on X @cam_mahler
Westboro merchants fear new parking meters are driving away business
