City staff will begin issuing tickets for regular metered stalls on Tuesday. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

No more free parking

Paid parking in P.A. returns Tuesday

May 15, 2020 | 1:14 PM

Effective Tuesday, Prince Albert staff will begin issuing parking tickets for metered downtown stalls once again.

The city introduced free parking in mid-March as an early COVID-19 relief measure. But Mayor Greg Dionne told paNOW the parking spots are now needed with many businesses set to reopen on Tuesday.

“I would like to give people more time,” Dionne said. “But unfortunately during the grace period we’ve had businesses report to us quite a bit of abuse, especially with people who live in the downtown core parking their vehicles all day and it really affected some of the businesses that were remaining open.”

Dionne said the re-implementation of paid parking is being made at the request of downtown businesses and emphasized it’s absolutely vital that shoppers support them when stores reopen on Tuesday.

“We need these local businesses,” he said. “At the end of the day if all we have left is the giant Superstores and the Walmart’s you really don’t have a good mix in your community.”

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Dionne cited many small businesses in Prince Albert are in danger of closing their doors permanently due to the financial hit they’ve taken during the pandemic.

“We have to do everything in our power to help the local people get their businesses back,” he said. “So that’s one of the purposes of bringing the paid parking back, so we can turn the stalls over.”

Phase two of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan begins on Tuesday.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom