Paid parking DND property

[Tibbson]

I work at an off base location where I have (luckily) access to free larking outside of military control...unless they try to order the city to put a parking meter in my brothers driveway two blocks from my offfice.  My biggest concerns are parking at the gym and BHosp. I imagine those will be pay for use but I cant get an anser yet.  I cant avoid going to the BHosp when needed but if I have to pay each day to park at the gym at Stad I'll save my money and make use of my family YMCA membership.  I'm already paying for the membership, the parking is free AND the YMCA at least fixes their broken equipment.

I czn imagine a serious rise in MTEC  claims too when my clerks and/or Commisionaires need to go to Stad to pick up files or other items.  They used to coord their trips and use POMV without complaint but I can see that changing.

 

[kratz]

or the use of Base Taxi calls will spike, until they restrict the rules / hours using the base taxi again.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

In an interview Monday, CFB Halifax spokesman Mike Bonin said the decision was not made by military leaders.

“It’s all based on Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency requirements and fair market value. The reality is government regulations are stating that it’s a taxable benefit for us and we need to pay to park.”

Yah but they sure put up a big fight didn't they  :

If Hillier was CDS would he have taken this?

What a joke!

 

[Transporter]

To many in TB, we're just regular public servants like all the others. Why should we be treated any differently and given extravagant perks like free parking? That's just un-Canadian.

Start adding up the benefits/allowances we've lost and the increases in contributions we've been forced to pay over the past 6-7 years and you might surprise yourself. It's been a gradual but constant chipping-away of overall compensation.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

To many in TB, we're just regular public servants like all the others. Why should we be treated any differently and given extravagant perks like free parking? That's just un-Canadian.

Start adding up the benefits/allowances we've lost and the increases in contributions we've been forced to pay over the past 6-7 years and you might surprise yourself. It's been a gradual but constant chipping-away of overall compensation.

The treasury board can put a foot up their fourth point of contact.  Also, I am well aware of the increase in contributions/loss of benefits and allowances.  I have been promoted through three different rank levels over the past four years and the difference in my pay is negligible and we wonder why guys are jumping ship for the oil fields out west.

 

[Tibbson]

Yah but they sure put up a big fight didn't they  :

If Hillier was CDS would he have taken this?

What a joke!

As I understand it, its not as though DND had a choice.

 

[Tibbson]

To many in TB, we're just regular public servants like all the others. Why should we be treated any differently and given extravagant perks like free parking? That's just un-Canadian.

Start adding up the benefits/allowances we've lost and the increases in contributions we've been forced to pay over the past 6-7 years and you might surprise yourself. It's been a gradual but constant chipping-away of overall compensation.

My boss refers to it as "FRP 2.0". 

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

As I understand it, its not as though DND had a choice.

That wasn't my point... my point was nobody is willing to put themselves on the firing line to stand up for anything anymore.  We aren't civil servants, regardless of what some in the TB may believe.  Whatever happened to unlimited liability? 

My boss refers to it as "FRP 2.0". 

Your boss isn't far off

 

[dapaterson]

No more free parking relates how, exactly, to unlimited liability?

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

No more free parking relates how, exactly, to unlimited liability?

It fits into the bigger picture of the continued loss of benefits which Transporter alluded to.  If I am going to be treated like every other civil servant then why should I be willing to take a bullet for Joe Canuck/The Government of Canada? 

 

[George Wallace]

Parking on Bases should not fall into the same category as parking in city lots in metropolitan areas.  Why should a CAF member pay for parking on bases like Halifax, Esquimalt, Greenwood, Shearwater, Petawawa, Shilo, Cold Lake, and on and on?

Most of bases are well removed from large metropolitan areas and their parking, even if limited, is restricted to DND and CAF employees/members.  In many cases, those lots are not paved.

Shopping Centers/Malls have large tracts of parking lots and do not charge fees.

Large industries have large parking lots and do not charge fees.

Large Provincial and National Parks have parking lots and charge no fees other than Park entrance fees.


Why does TB now feel that a CAF base is any different? 

This opens up the need to address this to Taxation Canada as to become a claim on Income Tax.  Revenue brought in by TB paid back by Revenue Canada.

Can anyone foresee a rash of cars being parked on the side of the roads/streets outside of military bases?

 

[Ostrozac]

What bothers me about the implementation of pay parking in Halifax is that, according to the article, Single Living-In are going to be required to pay for parking at their quarters. That bugs me. Rates for single quarters are supposed to be set nationally, and that's the rationale for pers in single quarters not receiving PLD. If a soldier in Shilo lives in and gets free parking, and a soldier in Halifax lives in and has to pay for parking, that strikes me as unfair.

As to whether Halifax should be paying for parking -- lots of locations in Ottawa have been doing this for years, so it's not a new concept, just new to Halifax. Has this been rolled out yet in any of our other "urban" bases -- Valcartier, Winnipeg, Esquimalt, Edmonton?

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

What bothers me about the implementation of pay parking in Halifax is that, according to the article, Single Living-In are going to be required to pay for parking at their quarters. That bugs me. Rates for single quarters are supposed to be set nationally, and that's the rationale for pers in single quarters not receiving PLD. If a soldier in Shilo lives in and gets free parking, and a soldier in Halifax lives in and has to pay for parking, that strikes me as unfair.

As to whether Halifax should be paying for parking -- lots of locations in Ottawa have been doing this for years, so it's not a new concept, just new to Halifax. Has this been rolled out yet in any of our other "urban" bases -- Valcartier, Winnipeg, Esquimalt, Edmonton?

Yes because the rest of the military should seek to emulate Ottawa.... if that's the case then, I am not going to do any PT for the rest of my career, order DEU pants with a 52 inch waist, refuse to apply any sort of polish to my foot wear or iron my uniform, and never smile ever again!  Will all be better off for it!

 

[Strike]

Question - do guys working at the staff college in Toronto have to pay for parking?

How about people working at recruiting centres?  Sure, they aren't necessarily operational postings like working at the dockyard might be, but still members of the CF.  Are reservists going to have to pay now too when they go to their parade nights?

what strikes me with the Halifax situation, is that it is prime real estate for parking in general.  So, what's to stop Joe Blo going to the casino from parking there?  And an even bigger question is, who gets the money?

 

[RedcapCrusader]

Well, they do have to make up for the budget cuts somehow...

 

[Old EO Tech]

Question - do guys working at the staff college in Toronto have to pay for parking?

How about people working at recruiting centres?  Sure, they aren't necessarily operational postings like working at the dockyard might be, but still members of the CF.  Are reservists going to have to pay now too when they go to their parade nights?

what strikes me with the Halifax situation, is that it is prime real estate for parking in general.  So, what's to stop Joe Blo going to the casino from parking there?  And an even bigger question is, who gets the money?

Good questions, there has to be a local rate for public parking for TB to state DND has to follow suite.  For instance while DND locations in downtown Ottawa or Gatineau have rates, Uplands and Letrim to not as there is no public rate in the area.  But yes Recruit Centres in large cities should have rates as should Reserve Armouries in larger cities.  Though I'm not aware if those two instances are being enforced yet.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Yes, Halifax Armouries and RA Park are getting dinged too.  Higher rates than the Dockyard.  I could "live" with this decision easier if they were to implement it in the same manner as is done for employees at Halifax International Airport (the same lame excuse was given there too a year or two ago).  They are not out of pocket per se, what they have attached to their T4 is a $25/mo taxable benefit.  I would be happier to pay a taxable benefit of $45/75 a month at the end of the year than to get screwed the whole amount all year long. 

I can't wait to see how much they are going to screw everyone for visitor parking.  Those rates have not been announced yet.  I bet they're going to be outrageous.

 

[DAA]

This has actually been in the works for quite sometime now and the original intent of these changes, was to include "ALL" CF Military locations right across Canada.  I'll try to track down the original Wng O but I believe it was issued a couple years ago.

 

[PMedMoe]

This has actually been in the works for quite sometime now and the original intent of these changes, was to include "ALL" CF Military locations right across Canada.  I'll try to track down the original Wng O but I believe it was issued a couple years ago.

I recall seeing something like that as well. 

 

[acen]

Good questions, there has to be a local rate for public parking for TB to state DND has to follow suite.  For instance while DND locations in downtown Ottawa or Gatineau have rates, Uplands and Letrim to not as there is no public rate in the area.  But yes Recruit Centres in large cities should have rates as should Reserve Armouries in larger cities.  Though I'm not aware if those two instances are being enforced yet.

Thankfully not in force at Cartier Square Drill Hall in downtown Ottawa yet. To be fair though, it's where many important people from NDHQ park, and the only time feathers are ruffled are when someone of stature can't find a spot. The only time it's really frustrating is when those of us who work at the drill hall can't find parking on a thursday night in the winter because the civvies are all using it as an access point to the Rideau Canal Skateway.

Vehicle registration/parking pass is one thing (to ensure proper use of the area), but paying for parking is another beast. My civvie employment is for the federal government and the parking rates are anywhere from 75$ to 95$/month at a building that is far removed from the downtown core and right next to a shopping centre with thousands of free parking spaces. If the space is leased, fine, but if it is DND property, have a vehicle registration.