On September 8, Hawkesbury town council adopted a bylaw requiring anyone wanting to park on the sections of the two streets around Hawkesbury and District General Hospital (HGH) to have a parking permit issued by the town. Permit holders will now once again be allowed to park on sections of Ghislain and Stevens Streets in Hawkesbury from 6 am to 6 pm daily.
Parking for all vehicles, including those with permits, had been prohibited on parts of the two streets while construction was taking place at HGH. The permits were introduced in 2015 to reduce the amount of HGH patients and visitors parking their cars on the street, rather than in the designated hospital parking lots. Fees are charged for parking in the HGH lots.
In August, a resident of the Ghislain and Stevens Street area requested that council eliminate the daytime parking restrictions for permit holders.
Councillor Tony Tsourounakis expressed concern about hospital visitors still trying to avoid paying for parking.
Councillor Jeanne Charlebois agreed. She said it recently cost her $24 to visit the hospital for only two hours. But she supports allowing the residents to keep parking as long as they have permits.
“No parking continues on this street, unless you have a parking pass,” emphasized Mayor Robert Lefebvre.
