UVic workers upset with '50 percent' parking fee increase
CTV
Unions representing University of Victoria staff say the proposed changes to how parking fees will be managed will make parking unaffordable for their more than 3,000 members.
In April, UVic announced it would discontinue annual parking passes in exchange for monthly permits.
The university said the proposed change would allow for greater choice for commuters "including the Flex 25 pass, which offers 25 daily single-use general parking permits with no expiry date."
The labour organizations representing UVic staff say the plan isn’t financially sustainable for their members who will see annual parking fees climb from a little more than $600 a year to more than $900.
To draw attention to the price increase, the group has launched an online petition to demand that UVic reconsider the restructuring of its parking fees.
"They’re going to put up our parking by 50 percent [and] when you’ve got to put food on the table, that’s a difficult decision," said CUPE 951 president Kirk Mercer.
"Our members want to be heard and that’s why we’re directing them to our online petition," he said. "We hope that once enough people are being heard, that way UVic will maybe change their mind about the level of increase that they want."
In the April announcement, UVic said parking revenues support transportation programs at the university. It said paid parking offsets the cost of programs, such as subsidized bus passes for student and staff, and on-campus cycling facilities.
"With the lack of affordable housing, our members are having to live further and further away from the campus," said Mercer. "They’re having to take their vehicles because there aren’t bus routes everywhere."
