There are conflicting explanations about what went wrong with downtown Elora’s paid parking program. In May, the Township of Centre Wellington launched a new system for visitors. Drivers were supposed to be directed to the payment platform, but QR codes sent them to a pornography website instead. The system was taken offline in June. The township then announced it was parting ways with the vendor, Alpha Technology System Inc., and working on an “in-house” payment solution. The township and the company remain at odds over what happened and why their partnership ended. Alpha’s version The war of words reignited over the weekend when an Alpha employee posted a letter to social media. It was addressed to the township’s mayor and councillors. “We were able to determine that a file infected with malware [was] uploaded by a municipal employee using a device with access to the system,” the letter said. Alpha stated that, after being alerted to the QR problem, they took action. “The system was immediately isolated, and it was determined that no attempts to breach the system had occurred,” the letter said. “The issue was identified and resolved within four hours and continued to operate as normal managing data and processing payments.” The company claimed the township kept the system offline, despite it being fully operational. “It is the equivalent of having someone spray-paint offensive messages on the front door of the bank, and instead of washing off the paint, the bank responds by closing the bank,” the letter said. “Over the next 72 hours staff terminated all scheduled meetings including administration and service agreement meetings.” Township’s version Centre Wellington responded to the claims in a media release. “Alpha’s letter to the township attributed a malware incident to an unknown employee at another municipality who reportedly uploaded a malware-containing file,” it said. That was just one element that led to their loss of confidence in the company. “… the township determined that the termination of its relationship with Alpha was desirable in order to protect the continuity, integrity and long-term viability of services for Centre Wellington residents and businesses,” the press release continued. “Staff were not satisfied that the provider’s security controls and proposed measures provided sufficient confidence that township information and services would be adequately protected going forward.” A costly problem Elora ultimately paid the price for the problem. “We’ve lost a lot of revenue, which could have gone to the town,” one resident said. The program was expected to bring in extra cash for the tourist town. While residents could still park for free, visitors would have to pay $3 an hour, up to $15 a day, to park downtown. “The place is inundated with tourists, it’s inundated with cars, and I think it should hopefully help to alleviate that a little bit,” Elora resident Scott Hutchison told CTV News in May. The township spent $325,000 on infrastructure and implementation of the program in 2025. The projected operating cost was estimated at $166,000, if Alpha’s system had run until the end of the year. It did, however, bring in $144,000 in parking fines and fees in the one month it was working. That was much higher than the township had anticipated. Alpha’s letter also addressed the financial loss. “Truly a confusing waste of money on signage, human capital and countless hours of programming unique parking solutions for the town,” it said. What’s next The township said an official would be available to speak about the paid parking program on Wednesday. It will be the first time, in more than three months, they agreed to an interview with CTV News about the issue.
