Paid Saturday parking for downtown overturned by Halifax budget committee

Halifax’s budget committee has decided to overturn its prior decision to implement paid parking in downtown areas on Saturdays after pushback from a number of businesses and associations.

In a narrow 8-9 vote last month, the committee voted to begin charging $2 per hour for parking in the downtown Halifax and Dartmouth areas on Saturdays.

The municipality has estimated that implementing paid downtown parking on Saturday would bring in an additional $538,000 in revenue for the 2023-24 year.

But after hearing from a dozen speakers Tuesday afternoon, most of whom spoke out against the plan, the committee voted to rescind the prior motion.

A number of people who own businesses or work downtown told the committee that staff and customers who drive downtown do not want to pay for parking on Saturdays. Some also said transit is not reliable enough to move people into the downtown core.

Sue Uteck, executive director Spring Garden Area Business Association, said the move was a “blindside” for the businesses she represents and said it was “another blow to absorb” after COVID-19. She asked for the decision to be deferred for another year.

1:52 HRM businesses concerned about proposed fee for parking on weeknights and Saturdays

After hearing from the public speakers, several councillors said they would be willing to revisit the issue in a future budget, but said now is not the time.

“Is this the time? I don’t think it is,” said Waye Mason, the councillor for Halifax South-Downtown, who previously voted against charging for Saturday parking.

Coun. Lisa Blackburn originally voted in favour of implementing paid Saturday parking downtown, as other major cities charge for Saturday parking.

But on Tuesday, she said she had a “sober second thought” after hearing about the challenges businesses downtown continue to face during COVID-19.

“Not one of the speakers stood here and said, ‘Don’t do this ever,’” she said. “The vast majority realize that this is something that is coming, but now is not the time.”

The motion to rescind the previous decision, put forward by Coun. Pamela Lovelace, required two-thirds, or 12 councillors, to vote yes to pass. The motion passed 13-4, with councillors David Hendsbee, Lindell Smith, Shawn Cleary and Patty Cuttell voting against.

Cleary, one of the dissenting voters, said a better way to help downtown businesses would be to get more people living downtown, “not continue to subsidize and externalize the cost of car ownership.”

He also said transit ridership on Saturdays has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and took note of the climate crisis and the importance of moving people away from dependence on personal vehicles.

Tyler Higgins, budget and reserves manager for the municipality, said without the extra projected revenue from Saturday parking, the average residential tax bill would increase slightly by 5.9 per cent, rather than the 5.8 per cent previously projected.