UVic union staff push back against parking fee increases
Five unions representing more than 5,000 University of Victoria (UVic) staff have reignited a petition asking the university to reconsider a planned change from annual to monthly parking passes starting Sept. 1.
The unions say the change will see the cost of a monthly permit jump from the current $50 to $75. They say the parking cost is a 50 percent increase to on-campus parking fees that will rise from $600 to $900 annually.
"That’s $300 you don’t have to spend, or can’t spend, on groceries [or] on health and welfare," said UVic CUPE Local 951 president Kirk Mercer.
"These are all things that have to be taken into account when you talk about any increases," he said.
"We’ve just come out of a pandemic, the cost of living is going through the roof and this is just one added measure that isn’t necessary."
PROPOSED COMPROMISE
In April, UVic announced that it would discontinue annual parking passes and move to monthly permits.
According to the university, the planned change would allow for greater choice for commuters "including the Flex 25 pass, which offers 25 daily single-use general parking passes with no expiration date."
Mercer says after the petition was launched in June, the university introduced a compromise to the planned parking fee change.
The union president says UVic offered a three-year phased implementation of the new fee structure for current permit holders that earn less than $68,000 a year. The proposed compromise would see current parking pass users pay $60 per month in 2022, $70 in 2023 and $75 in 2024.
Mercer says any increase to the cost of parking for the technical trades workers, childcare and office staff that he represents is not financially sustainable.
"The majority of our members were working from home and remotely during 2020 and 2021, so a lot of them never renewed their annual passes," said Mercer.
"These are the members that are going to be impacted the most because they are not given the option of a reduced rate."
Mercer says the unions representing UVic staff are asking that the increase in parking fees be linked to the cost of living, which is pegged by the labour organizations at eight per cent.
"The cost of living is at eight per cent and that would be a more realistic increase, not 50 per cent or even 20 and 30 per cent," said Mercer.
The municipality is seeking public feedback from residents about their current parking habits and requirements. (CTV News)
In an emailed statement to CTV News, UVic said people who need parking at the university can save money by using a parking lot further from the center of campus, like the ones located at the Ian Stewart Complex or Lamb Circle.
It goes on to say that "switching to monthly permits will allow the user to consider how they travel to campus and where they wish to park, which can reduce their cost and contribute to the [university’s] sustainability goals."
"Reduced rates are also available for members who have accessibility requirements and need to park closer to their work or classroom buildings," said UVic parking and transportation manager Patrick Seward.
"While we understand that not everyone agrees with the change in parking fees at UVic, we believe encouraging people to use different modes of transportation is one of the ways UVic and our campus community can contribute to a more sustainable future for our community and the planet," he said.
The unions representing UVic staff want the university to cancel the planned changes and are planning a direct outreach campaign with faculty, staff and students in the coming months.
"This is a significant increase for many of our members when they need to put food on the tables for their families," said Mercer.
The unions' petition can be found online. The upcoming parking changes at the university can be found on the UVic website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.