When City of North Bay staffers present a report before Council, they often bring out the "heavy-hitters" in support of their findings.
Case in point, the proposed extension of the overnight parking ban from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on all roads, until 10 a.m. on cul-de-sacs and the farthest extensions of dead-end streets, and the move to end the overnight ban on April 15 instead of the current March 31.
Monday, at a Committee Meeting concerning amendments to the overnight parking ban, the City tapped Steve McLaren, one of the heaviest hitters in local hockey history to enter the fray.
McLaren, retired from hockey since 2005 after a lengthy minor pro career and a 6-game stint with the St. Louis Blues, is now a snowplow operator for the City.
"We have a pretty tough job. Everybody looks at different jobs in different lights. For instance, the fire department, the old adage goes that everybody is running out of a burning building, firemen are running in. They get kudos for that, and they should.
"At the same time, while people are staying inside their houses, we're going out trying to clean the roads. We're dragging 28 feet of steel across the asphalt and being tasked with the job of making it safe not only for ourselves to drive, but for every member of the public. It's something you have to put your heart and soul into," said McLaren.
"I think it's in the best interest and the safety of the public," to adjust the ban accordingly, added McLaren.
Fellow operator David Pledge told Council that his number one concern is safety, that, "Everyday I see so many things that make me nervous when there are vehicles parked on the road. I can't get around them. I see children that are going to school, that are darting around parked cars."
"I've seen city buses unable to get through because cars are parked across from one another. If I can't get the plow down a street, then neither can a fire truck," said Pledge.
Currently plow routes are scheduled in eight-hour shifts, beginning at 4 a.m. This has been the practice for some time, to avoid unnecessary overtime pay, and pre-dates his tenure, said Director of Public Works Domenic Schiavone.
Coun. Mike Anthony wondered whether a return to a midnight ban would be more effective than extending the ban into the morning hours when people begin commuting to work and school. Schiavone did indicate that shuffling start times could be accomplished without overtime becoming an issue, as is done with snow removal crews.
Council was told that in 1996, due to pressure from local bar owners whose customers were receiving parking tickets after midnight while they were still in the establishments, the ban was amended to cover only the current 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. window.
Coun. George Maroosis (who owns and operates a downtown shop) wondered whether an extension to an 8 a.m. parking prohibition would negatively affect downtown businesses that open earlier, citing Ray's Hairstyling and Zack's Corner Restaurant as establishments that rely on street parking spaces for their customers.
Maroosis also observed that daycare and babysitting services, as well as personal support workers visiting clients, would also be affected by the later parking allowances.
"The world does not start at 8," said Maroosis.
Coun. Mac Bain asked By-Law Enforcement Officer Ron Melnyk for information on overnight parking ban time ranges in northern areas.
Replied Melnyk: "Sault Ste. Marie 12-6, Orillia 12-7, Callander 12-7, Sudbury 12-7," while also pointing out that many of the listed municipalities had bans that extended into April as well as heftier fines for infractions.
Support seemed to be forming around the table that a 7 a.m. extension may be more prudent. The item was referred back to committee by Chair Mark King, so there will be no resolution on the matter until the new year.
