The mayor of Gananoque, Ont., has used new powers granted by the province to propose changing the town's parking bylaw to single out vehicles with Quebec licence plates by clamping their wheels until their owners pay parking tickets.
John Beddows said the 27-point "mayoral directive" he issued under his recently acquired strong mayor powers is merely a draft document, meant as guidance for municipal staff as they plan the budget.
In an interview with CBC, Beddows said his purpose in including the point about vehicles from Quebec was to "have the idea explored," and dismissed pushback as a "tempest in a teapot."
Beddows said his intention in proposing the measure was to 'have the idea explored,' and dismissed controversy over it as a 'tempest in a teapot.' (Dan Taekema/CBC)But at least one of his council colleagues said picking on visitors from a specific province — especially one that's home to a significant portion of the town's tourists — risks undermining the community's economy and scaring off visitors.
"Thanks for coming and spending your money!" wrote Coun. Dave Osmond in a sardonic post on Facebook. "I see you have Quebec plates so we can clamp your tires!"
Mayor cites 'uneven playing field'The mayor's directive was shared Aug. 15 and covers a range of topics from increasing arena ice fees and seeking sponsors for municipal flower beds to strategies for tackling the town's capital funding shortfall.
A section about the parking bylaw includes five subheadings, one of which focuses on collecting fines from Quebec drivers.
Cyclists ride past a parking meter in Gananoque. (Dan Taekema/CBC)It suggests amending the bylaw to permit "clamping tires of Quebec-plated vehicles on issuance of a parking ticket," as well as creating a new class of ticket that includes the cost of locking and unlocking the wheels.
In outlining his reasoning for the recommendation, Beddows stated Ontario and Quebec don't have a reciprocal agreement when it comes to parking tickets.
That means while an Ontarian who fails to pay local fines can't renew their licence, a Quebec driver who gets ticketed in Gananoque or any other Ontario town "suffers no consequences if they don't pay."
Beddows told CBC he believes that creates an "uneven playing field."
"This is a question about, do we explore a mechanism to render it even?" he asked.
19 unpaid tickets in 6 monthsOsmond said he doesn't believe the municipality should be singling out residents of any one province. For a town that relies on tourism and even hosts a bilingual cultural festival every year, he said singling out Quebecers seems like an especially odd choice.
"Quebec, especially during the Quebec construction week, they're our main driver," said the councillor. "You can't go anywhere in Gananoque without seeing a Quebec plate or hearing ... francophones in our community."
Osmond said according to his understanding of a report staff shared with councillors last week, between the end of January and the end of July 2025, 19 parking tickets went unpaid, 10 of them issued to vehicles from Quebec.
Gananoque Coun. Dave Osmond said he believes singling out Quebec drivers for harsher punishment risks scaring off tourists. (Dan Taekema/CBC)"That might be larger over the course of the year," he explained, but "most of our parking tickets are in the area of $15 to $25."
The councillor said he wants to understand the scale of the problem, suggesting even if the amount is in the thousands of dollars, that may be the "cost of doing business for a summer's worth of prosperity for our tourist industry."
'A solution in search of a problem'Montreal resident Robin Brass was visiting Gananoque last week and described the tire clamping approach as "rather severe."
"I guess if Quebec drivers are abusing the parking it's understandable, but I don't imagine there's a problem," he said. "I don't see why they should be singled out."
Brass stops in the town regularly while travelling to his cottage, and said he finds the local paid parking rules "a bit fuzzy."
"To me, it's a solution in search of a problem," he said of the mayor's directive.
Quebec resident Robin Brass said he believes clamping the wheels of Quebec-plated vehicles is a 'severe' response. (Dan Taekema/CBC)Strong mayor powers, which include proposing the budget, were only extended to Gananoque in May.
Beddows said he takes his new responsibilities seriously, and said anything regarding affordability and the cost of running the town falls under the role — even parking tickets for out-of-province visitors.
The budget is subject to council approval. The mayor said he doesn't think his Quebec-specific proposal will survive that process, but it's still a question he wanted answered.
Councillors have questions of their own. Last week, they passed a motion asking the mayor to provide more detail on the directive and explain his reasoning for each point.
That meeting is scheduled for Sept. 16.