Kitchener senior with mobility issues faces months without accessible parking

Renate Euteneier is facing the threat of losing her parking spot, and with it, her independence.

Euteneier, who turns 87 this fall, requires an accessible parking permit. While the parking garage in her Kitchener apartment building undergoes renovations, she's been told she has to park elsewhere.

"I'm having nightmares," she told CBC News.

Euteneier said she's worried losing her spot means she'll be housebound for fear of having to park too far away. But she admits, "I have to get out sometime."

When Euteneier moved into the building nearly 10 years ago, she didn't have accessibility requirements. Since then, her mobility has deteriorated, but luckily, the parking space included in her lease has always worked for her needs.

However, with renovations slated from June to October, building managers M. Schiketanz Real Estate say she'll have to use a temporary lot half of a kilometre downhill from her building — a distance Euteneier says she simply can't manage anymore.

"I'm not walking as fast as I used to," she said, adding that she now uses a walking stick for mobility.

When she got a notice saying she would be losing her spot for a time, she reached out to management to let them know about her situation, saying she was hopeful they would accommodate her disability. 

So when several visitor parking spaces opened up close to the building, she asked if she could use one of them.

Euteneier said their response was "no."

She said that despite speaking to managers on the phone and attending an in-person meeting, they've offered "no solutions."

In an emailed statement, M. Schiketanz president Mark Machel said Euteneier is not on the company's "ambulatory list," which helps determine priority for accessible parking. He acknowledged the situation is challenging, but said the company is "doing our best considering the situation."

The statement said that visitor spots at the building would be first-come-first-serve. Machel said some spots had been converted to accessible spaces, but they would also be unassigned.

"Providing a reserved space for tenants creates a problem that everyone else wants one too," he said.