TORONTO – A private company is facing charges after issuing look-a-like tickets to cars parked across the street from a Scarborough hospital.
Drivers have issued complaints after receiving what looked like City of Toronto parking tickets in a parking lot managed by Juxta Property Management, part of Salpam Development Group. Salpam Development Group did not respond to an interview request from Global News at the time of this article’s publication.
The parking lot has very small signage at its entrance driveways and along the edges of the lot regarding fines for parking there without visiting establishments in the plaza. The specific conditions are posted on two small signs at each entrance.
The company issuing the “tickets” is called Parking Control Unit, and their employees dress in what appear to be official security uniforms. One employee pinned a number of look-a-like tickets to cars, but didn’t provide an explanation to Global News reporter Mark McAllister when he was on scene Tuesday.
Parking Control Unit was traced to a mailbox rented in Brampton, where retail owners in the plaza up the street from the mailbox have been confronted by angry receivers of tickets. Global News discovered that the organization is operated under Olympus Security and Investigations.
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Global News found Olympus Security and a dog training facility at the Olympus address, but the door was locked when visited on Tuesday.
Parking Control Unit’s Director of Operations is Dave Van Rooyen, who was reached only by email after a brief phone conversation with no official response.
Van Rooyen says people parking in the lot are fined when they break a contract by leaving the property without entering any establishments there.
City of Toronto Municipal Licensing and Standards Division Bruce Hawkins first sent an email to Global News on Tuesday in response to the situation as follows:
“Private companies… cannot issue tickets demanding payment in relation to vehicles parked on that private property – only a municipal enforcement officer may do so… A parking ticket has to be issued in accordance with the Chief of Police. A company issuing a look-a-like ticket can be charged.”
Van Rooyen’s position on the matter was that: “The court of appeal up held (sic) a court ruling that the issuance of Parking Invoices where consent is given, contract of terms and fee are posted that this does not violate the City of Toronto by-law.”
Van Rooyen cites a difference between a “ticket” that’s considered an offence, and an “invoice” that is for billing services. He claims his company is not issuing tickets but invoices, and that it falls under the jurisdiction of Municipal Licensing Standards rather than the Toronto Police Service Parking Enforcement.
However, Hawkins also acts as spokesperson for the Municipal Licensing & Standards Division and points to the City of Toronto by-law stating that, “No person employed, engaged or otherwise acting under the authority of an agency shall issue any document, tag, ticket or notice, or request or demand for payment in relation to vehicles parked on private property…”
Hawkins has confirmed that the city has conducted a number of investigations, laid charges, and that this case involving Parking Control Unit is presently before the courts due to complaints involving the look-a-like parking tickets. Hawkins adds that complaints have come in from across the city and are not limited to one address.
On the subject of the “invoices” being produced to look like city parking tickets and officers dressed like city workers, Van Rooyen says the city doesn’t have copyright to colour, and that Olympus has registered their uniform with the governing body with no changes.
Global News reporter Mark McAllister has learned that this may be happening at other locations throughout the GTA including Mississauga, Pickering, and Oshawa. If you have received a suspicious request for payment, contact the City of Toronto at 311.
Has this happened to you? Contact us at tips@globalnews.ca.
With files from Mark McAllister
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