6 new courts aim to clear Toronto's parking ticket backlog
04.11.2008 17:02
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- Source: cbc.ca
Toronto is creating six new courtrooms to deal with a massive problem — a backlog of 300,000 parking tickets. Some people wait as long as three years before they can get their day in court and the city hopes the new courtrooms will put an end to the problem. Asir Khan is one of those looking forward to the speedier justice system. He stood in a slow-moving line last Friday, waiting to set a trial date with one of two clerks working during the lunch hour. "They ticketed my [car at my] own condominium. I was just in my own visitors' parking and the ticket officer never went up to the concierge to see if I was registered — and if he had it would have been in the book and I would not have got the ticket." Khan said he's frustrated to hear it may take years to tell his story in court "It's not fair. I expect at some point all of these tickets are going to be [struck] off," he said. The backlog is also costing the city in lost revenue. To try to solve the problem, the city had decided to add two courtrooms at existing facilities and lease four more courtrooms at a building on University Avenue. The city estimates that the additional 125,000 traffic tickets that will be processed in the new courts will bring in $1 million. Toronto budget chief Shelly Carroll warns that people caught in the backlog shouldn't count on their parking tickets being thrown out. "It's not so much that we are looking to make a profit," said Carroll. "We have to remember at the very beginning of this whole financial and facilities equation comes someone who didn't comply with provincial laws and city bylaws." Carroll said she expects the new courtrooms will be operating by the spring. Consumer HeadlinesNational pump price average around 98 cents a litreThe national average for a litre of gas hovered around 98 cents before noon Tuesday, while the price of crude climbed to $64.95 a barrel in trading.Charitable donations up, number of donors slips: StatsCanCanadians made $8.6 billion worth of charitable donations in 2007, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the previous year, according to Statistics Canada figures released Tuesday.Rogers relaunches Fido without system access feeRogers Communications Inc. has moved to head off greater competition in the cellphone market by relaunching its Fido brand with lower rate plans, shorter term contracts and no system access fee.High-tech, traditional on display at showcase of hot holiday toysParents on the hunt for the buzz-worthy children's toys for the holidays will find both high-tech and traditional items on the list heading into the busiest shopping season of the year.Amid oil-fuelled worries, St. John's revives neighbourhood watch programSt. John's city council has voted unanimously to revive a program to help residents curb crime in their own neighbourhoods. Consumer Life FeaturesECONOMYGeographyWorld's next great cities IN DEPTHE. coliFAQsSAFETYRecalls and AdvisoriesBLOGFood BytesTightening the belt before dinnerVIDEOMoneyBartering makes a comeback (2:26)COMM-ODDITIESAuctionOzark cave owner turns to eBay in search of a bidderPeople who read this also read …
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