The Plateau Mont-Royal borough is going to be relying on visitors to the trendy neighbourhood to erase a $2 million annual deficit and make improvements without raising taxes for residents.
Starting January 1, meter parking in the borough will cost three dollars an hour – a one dollar increase from the current rate – and there will be 600 new meters installed in spots where parking was free.
The move is expected to generate $6 million a year in new revenue for the borough, money that is needed to balance the books and implement new projects in the area.
"People who come here, drive to work and park for free are going to have to start paying for that," said Alexander Norris, a councilor on the Project Montreal-controlled borough council.
Project Montreal Leader Richard Bergeron says his party's making good on a campaign promise to try to improve the quality of life for city-dwellers and stop the exodus to the suburbs.
"We cannot afford to lose that investment," Bergeron said. We cannot afford to lose 22 to 23,000 people a year."
It remains to be seen what impact this will have on Plateau businesses and other boroughs around Montreal will likely be curious as to how much money the change in pricing brings in, with NDG-Cote-des-Neiges considering a similar increase as well.
