The Ontario city of Barrie is offering an incentive to support local businesses by allowing customers to trade parking tickets for restaurant meal receipts amid COVID-19 restrictions.
Effective January 18, residents who get a City-issued parking ticket in paid parking areas can have that ticket scrapped if they provide a receipt from a Barrie restaurant.
Residents can email a copy of their ticket and their restaurant receipt to submit a request to cancel parking tickets. The amount on the meal receipt must be equal to or greater than the set fine — and within five days after getting the parking ticket.
“The City is committed to finding creative ways to encourage residents to support local, Barrie-based restaurants through curbside pick-up and takeout options while provincial restrictions are in place,” officials said in a press release.
The program was previously in place in the Ontario city from April to June 2021 and was approved once again for 2022 as long as restaurants are closed for in-person dining and restricted to take out only due to COVID-19 mandates.
It is currently unclear if this scheme will continue beyond January 31, when indoor dining is allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity.
Officials said the program does not apply to tickets related to safety matters, or overnight on-street parking restrictions.
