The size of your car will determine your parking fees in this Montreal borough

Starting this summer, parking stickers in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie will vary in price based on the type of vehicle and its net weight.

Starting July 1, for example, a $115 price tag will correspond to electric, hydrogen fuel cell or plug-in hybrid vehicles with a net mass of 1,549 kilograms or less. The fee will be the same for combustion vehicles or non-plug-in hybrids with a net mass of 1,249 kilograms or less.

The fee will be $205 for vehicles in the first category of 1,850 kilograms or more and for vehicles in the second category of 1,600 kilograms or more.

The borough council cited data from Statistics Canada indicating that between 2001 and 2021, the population aged 15 years and over grew by 11.3 per cent on the island of Montreal, while according to the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), during the same period, the number of passenger vehicles increased by 21.7 per cent.

At the same time, the proportion of light trucks jumped by 189.7 per cent. In 2021, they will make up 41.4 per cent of all Montreal vehicles – 2.3 times higher than 20 years ago.

The mayor of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, François Limoges, says that he wants to encourage those who have no choice but to use a vehicle for their trips to opt for smaller vehicles, or better yet, to carpool, or to share a vehicle.

Rates are also planned in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie for additional annual stickers, for people with low incomes or reduced mobility as well as for people who are members of a car-sharing service.

-- This report was first published by The Canadian Press in French on May 2, 2023