We, the undersigned members of the John Abbott College (JAC) community—employees, teachers, and students—are writing to formally express our concerns regarding the increasingly problematic parking situation on campus. The issue has deteriorated over the years, but during the Fall 2024 semester, it has reached an unprecedented level of confusion and difficulty.

The continued lack of parking spaces, combined with oversold parking permits, has created significant disruptions for all members of the college community. Employees are arriving late to work, students are missing classes, and others are forced to leave class or work to move their vehicles from off-campus locations in Ste-Anne-De-Bellevue. These challenges are not only affecting the productivity of staff and students but are also adding unnecessary stress to daily campus life.

Additionally, due to this disorganized parking situation, some teachers, staff, and students have received fines even though they have paid for their parking permits. This has caused frustration and stress across the John Abbott College community, and this stress has begun to negatively impact our work, classes, and essential college services.

We ask that the college take immediate action to address the following:

Complete Revision of the Parking Policy: Conduct a thorough review and revision of the parking policy to better enforce regulations and ensure transparency regarding how fines will be issued.

Create More Parking Spaces: Designate additional parking spaces specifically for holders of annual parking decals to prevent overcrowding and overselling of permits.

Reimbursement for Parking Permit Fees: Offer a reimbursement or partial refund of parking permit fees to students and staff due to the lack of preparedness for the Fall 2024 semester, which has led to significant inconveniences.

Free Public Transit Passes for Staff: Provide free monthly public transit passes to staff as a temporary measure to alleviate the parking issue while long-term solutions are implemented.

Stop Using External Police for Parking Fines: End the practice of involving Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue police or the SPVM in issuing parking fines. How can we contest a fine when the institution that creates the parking rules is not the same entity that issues the fines? We believe fines should be handled internally, ensuring consistency and fairness in the enforcement of college policies.