Parking in The Forks parkade no longer free

WINNIPEG — You will now have to pay to park in the parkade at The Forks. It will cost one dollar per half hour to park between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The paid parking is in effect seven days a week and you can only park for a maximum of three hours. Until now, parking in the parkade was free.

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“We have looked at the increasing costs for running The Forks, offering free programming and achieving our Target Zero initiatives,” Chelsea Thomson with The Forks said. “As we are a community development corporation and parking is our major source of revenue it is one way in which we can continue to achieve our goals of remaining financially self-sufficient while offering the city’s number one destination.”

She said all the added revenue will go back into The Forks to help pay for renovations or new programming.

Jino Distasio is with the Institute of Urban Studies at the University of Winnipeg and he said the free parking couldn’t last forever.

“Demand means it’s time to pay. It’s been free for a long time. We want to see the forks balance its books,” Distasio said.

Parking will remain free for people with a disability permit on the second level of the parkade.

Thomson said she understands people may be angry about the move but hopes they’ll continue to visit.

“What we’re doing is investing back in to The Forks site. And we’re doing things like renovating The Forks market,” Thomson said.

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“We understand that change is hard for people but we also think that the things that we’re doing on the site, the free programming, the new restaurants are great reasons to visit The Forks and we certainly hope free parking isn’t the only reason people come,” she said.

There is still free parking available in other lots around The Forks.