December 15, 2011 - Unionville, ON With all the talk about Markham's Parking Authority and their harassment of Markham residents being talked about in the news lately, it is surprising that the Parking Authority has stooped to a lower level today. It is questionable if the town actually favours parking dollars over the safety of children. Today at 3pm I witnessed the Parking "Officer" block off the driveway so that parents would not be allowed to drive through and pick up their children. Furthermore, a second officer patrolled the street on foot with his hand held printer threatening to ticket parents that stopped in front of the school. When confronted about this ridiculously blatant cash grab, the officer on foot stated that the first officer had called him as back up to assist with "enforcement". The first officer, still on a high from his new found power trip as he blocked the " "fire route" which he felt needed to be secured, threatened to ticket those that stopped to ask what he was doing. The confusion created by the Town Of Markham's parking authority along with the newly opened South Unionville Avenue put the children of Unionville Meadows at risk as they crossed the street in the rain to try and get into their parents cars while dodging cars trying to flee the terrorists bearing tickets. As a parent, I am disgusted and furious. It is the York Region Board of Education's responsibility to ensure the safety of my children until I pick them up after school. The teachers of Unionville Meadows do an admirable job getting kids safely into their parents' cars after school and keep the flow of traffic moving through the driveway. For the Parking Authority to jeopardize the safety of children so that a few of their employees can hit quota before Christmas is ludicrous. The Board should step in and stop this craziness. To the town Councillors, I raise the question "when does the safety of someone else's child take the back seat to generating cash flow?". The obvious answer is "Today" and it better have been the LAST time this happens. At some point, common sense should dictate how and when the enforcement of by-laws is conducted. Unfortunately, when easy money is involved, it seems common sense is thrown out the window.
