This article written in french by Corinne Prince was automatically translated using AI
More than a dozen parents from Georges-Vanier School attended the municipal council meeting on Tuesday, August 12, speaking on behalf of over a hundred parents who together have accumulated more than $23,500 in fines for dropping off their children on Mondor Avenue.
Sharing their personal experiences, parents questioned elected officials about the intentions behind what they consider questionable procedures used by the Laval Police Service (SPL). They also called for political action to cancel the tickets and to establish a safe drop-off zone for children at the start of the school year.
“If the goal was to increase student safety at that location, why were the tickets mailed out six months after the violations, and especially after the end of the school year?” asked Ayoub Omayma, a mother who alone received 13 tickets totaling over $1,000. “[…] How can you demonstrate that the officers exercised professional judgment [when the same officer issued] two tickets to me on consecutive days without even bothering to step out of his vehicle to inform me of the situation?”
Addressed by citizens in his role as municipal councilor for the Georges-Vanier School sector, Paolo Galati delivered a fiery response siding with the parents’ frustrations.
“We must act,” he declared to the cheers of the parents present at the council meeting. “These tickets issued under these unacceptable conditions must be canceled. Canceled! A clearly designated safe drop-off corridor on Mondor Avenue must be established immediately. And we must inform our residents before applying new measures, not months afterward! Our role is to protect and serve our community, not to trap our citizens with surprise measures. We are better than this. We must prove it starting today.”
“It is unacceptable to have proceeded in this manner, it is outrageous,” admitted the mayor, before describing the situation as “police overzealousness.” “Is this a usual practice of the City? No, this is the first time I have ever seen this.”
The mayor put forward two hypotheses to try to explain the “unjustifiable”: either a new SPL officer made a mistake, or the situation was related to the pressure tactics carried out by the Service last winter before a new labor contract was concluded.
Stéphane Boyer also reminded everyone that, as an elected official, he could not interfere in SPL procedures, but stated that general management was conducting the investigation and that follow-up would be done with the school to establish clear and safe drop-off procedures for Georges-Vanier students. He concluded by urging parents to contest their tickets.
Reactions
When asked whether their officers’ interventions on Mondor Avenue might have been connected to negotiations taking place at the time, the SPL stated that “only the administrative investigation will be able to determine that,” adding that the inquiry “will shed light on all the factors that led to the situation.”
As the investigation has just begun, the SPL cannot estimate its duration nor comment on its potential outcomes.
Richard Marcotte, a parent whose children have attended Georges-Vanier School for eight years, appreciated Councillor Galati’s remarks but considered the mayor’s response merely adequate.
“School starts in two weeks—where are we supposed to drop off our kids?” asked the Laval-born parent. “Something needs to be done quickly, and it doesn’t seem like it will be. […] They don’t seem to realize the urgency of fixing this and the scale of the problem.”
Tip of the iceberg
Through word of mouth and media coverage, the Facebook group gathering parents from Georges-Vanier School affected by parking fines mailed to them now has more than 120 members and continues to grow.
It is difficult to know the exact number of people affected during the summer break, especially since new tickets continue to be mailed out every week.
“We all feel a bit of stress when checking our mailboxes, because we receive the fines by registered mail,” lamented Annie Chevalier, a mother whose daughter just graduated from Grade 11 at Georges-Vanier School. “[…] Most [parents] have only received the tickets dating from January and February. Only the parent who got 13 fines received them up until May, because she specifically asked for them. […] So, imagine the number of tickets still coming our way, not to mention those addressed to people outside our group.”
Challenges and back-to-school
According to Richard Marcotte, all parents will contest their tickets, as recommended by the City of Laval and the SPL.
The members of the group intend to support one another by showing up together at municipal court hearings.
However, Mr. Marcotte doubts that contesting more than a hundred tickets individually is the most efficient or cost-effective approach for the municipality.
“All the expenses involved in contesting them would be rather ridiculous,” he said a few days after speaking at the municipal council. “I think the City should take action and have a discussion with the prosecutor and the police chief, then make recommendations to the judge.”
Before the school year begins, the father recommends that the school clearly mark a safe drop-off zone for parents and improve the signage to inform users.
According to him, this issue is not unusual in Laval: his brother reportedly experienced a similar situation a few years ago at Arc-en-ciel School in Laval-des-Rapides.
In addition, parents from Laval’s International Education School and Saint-Norbert School, both in Chomedey, contacted the parent group to inform them that they too had received parking fines related to a drop-off zone.
“There should be clearly marked drop-off zones at all schools, especially secondary schools,” concluded Richard Marcotte.
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