Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante wants a review of an old bylaw that has prevented some residents in an east-end neighbourhood from parking their cars in their own driveways.
"It is clear that the bylaw needs to be reviewed so that it better reflects today's needs, particularly with regard to electric vehicle owners who must park near their charging stations," said Plante's press attaché, Catherine Cadotte, in a statement to CTV News on Thursday.
On Wednesday, CTV News reported Nicole Gagnon has been parking in her driveway for more than 40 years. When she bought the house, the garage had been turned into a living space.
However, a neighbour complained about a violation of a decades-old bylaw that prohibits parking in front of a living space.
The mayor's office said complaints are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and that inspectors are asked to be "flexible" in applying the bylaw.
"In this particular case, the bylaw was applied following a citizen's complaint concerning work done without a permit," added Cadotte.
Gagnon said she was shocked to learn she was breaking the law.
"When we bought the house in 1981, it was like this," she said in an interview steps from her driveway on Wednesday. "Why is this a problem now?"
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough said, "The regulation is still relevant today, to protect green spaces, prevent floodings and increase pedestrian security.
We are actively evaluating the possibility to modify the regulation, especially to better include issues related to electric vehicles, without generating new problems."
Monique Voyer is another one of the 11 residents affected by the regulation.
"They say it's a question of safety for pedestrians," she said, "but if we back out of a garage, or a driveway, it doesn't make a difference."
Voyer has lived there for more than 40 years and said she was stunned to receive the letter.
"I understand that there are laws, but it's our house," she said. "We should be able to do what we want."
In the meantime, the residents are being encouraged to park on the street for free or risk getting a fine.
With files from CTV's Amanda Kline
The 2023 federal budget includes a 'grocery rebate' that will be offered to Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Han Dong is threatening legal action against Global News and its parent company Corus Entertainment after the media outlet published an allegation the Toronto MP spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians.
Flying over the Grand Canyon was a highlight for the Gellisen family during their trip to Phoenix, but their flight home to Toronto was a much different experience, with several family members forced off of the flight over tensions related to a teen's wheelchair.
Despite delayed decision-making by parliamentarians, Canada's massive renovation of Parliament Hill's Centre Block is being effectively managed so far, according to a new audit. However, 'rigorous' cost management will be needed as the work proceeds, cautions auditor general Karen Hogan.
A nine-year-old girl has died after a snow fort collapsed in a forest behind a rural Quebec home.
Another harmful substance is spreading within Canada's unregulated street drug supply and, without more aggressive intervention from policymakers, one expert says a growing number of people could be at risk of serious illness, injury or death.
King Charles III's coronation will be held on May 6 at London's Westminster Abbey. Here are some little-known facts about the ceremony:
Lettuce prices are likely to rise next month and could stay high into the summer, agriculture experts say, as flooding in a key California farming area becomes the latest example of extreme weather's effect on the food chain.
Police have identified a teenager who died after being stabbed in an ‘unprovoked’ attack at a Toronto subway station Saturday night, and have charged an adult male suspect with his murder.
A truck driver has pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of a 65-year-old animal rights activist.
For the second time in under a week, police were called to a Hamilton school that received a bomb threat.
Nearly two dozen small municipalities in Ontario will share $5.5 million to help with recovering from extreme weather.
The 2023 federal budget includes a 'grocery rebate' that will be offered to Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
An emergency alert involving “a dangerous female with a handgun” in Indian Brook, N.S., has been cancelled, police say.
A Royal Canadian Navy frigate departed Halifax today as part of the federal government's wider strategy of boosting its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The victim of a suspicious death in London over the weekend has been identified and police have now deemed the incident a homicide.
A man is recovering in hospital after being hit by a vehicle in London early Monday morning.
London fire crews made a rescue in frigid waters on Sunday, saving two people after their kayak capsized in the Thames River
The 2023 federal budget includes a 'grocery rebate' that will be offered to Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Ontario has reached a funding agreement with optometrists that increases some payments to them, but reduces some coverage for patients, including less frequent general eye exams for seniors.
Inflation is now forcing some Canadians to find different ways to afford day-to-day expenses.
Calgary emergency crews are on the scene in the community of Marlborough after an explosion and fire at a home.
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
A KLM flight bound for Calgary was delayed Sunday morning when an unruly passenger forced the airline to return to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
Stratford police are praising a cashier at a St. Marys Foodland that recognized a case of fraud and helped stop it.
A truck driver has pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of a 65-year-old animal rights activist.
Norfolk County OPP have shut down a road near Six Nations of the Grand River after a dump truck got caught in hydro wires.
A fire in Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood on Sunday evening is being investigated as suspicious.
Burial plots have become such a hot commodity in Metro Vancouver, one spot in a Burnaby cemetery is being sold privately online for $54,000.
The 2023 federal budget includes a 'grocery rebate' that will be offered to Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
The procession for two Edmonton police officers who were killed in the line of duty is scheduled to leave the Alberta Legislature grounds toward Rogers Place at approximately 11:45 a.m.
The 2023 federal budget includes a 'grocery rebate' that will be offered to Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
A 23-year-old man has been arrested after Windsor police say he used a Taser during an altercation with employees at a downtown grocery store.
The Windsor Spitfires are back in the OHL playoffs.
No injuries are reported after a garage fire in Windsor on Sunday night. Crews were called to the scene near Langlois Avenue and Ellis Street just after 10 p.m.
A fifth and final flight of displaced Ukrainians will arrive in Saskatchewan on March 27, according to the province.
The Village of Liberty is grieving the loss of its rink after it fell victim to a late night 'inferno' over the weekend.
Construction efforts are expected to begin on the south section of Regina's Ring Road.
The 2023 federal budget includes a 'grocery rebate' that will be offered to Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Despite delayed decision-making by parliamentarians, Canada's massive renovation of Parliament Hill's Centre Block is being effectively managed so far, according to a new audit. However, 'rigorous' cost management will be needed as the work proceeds, cautions auditor general Karen Hogan.
About 3,000 education workers at Carleton University will strike on Monday after the union and the university failed to come to an agreement by the midnight deadline.
The Saskatoon Blades' last two home games of the season have been against the Regina Pats, and with top NHL prospect Connor Bedard drawing big crowds wherever he's playing, almost 30,000 fans have come through the turnstiles at Sasktel Centre.
City administrators are calling for a design change on Main Street and Clarence Avenue that would prevent vehicles from using Main Street as a thoroughfare rather than 8th Street.
The Village of Liberty is grieving the loss of its rink after it fell victim to a late night 'inferno' over the weekend.
