When my family first moved into Hastings-Sunrise, a neighbour was quick to inform us of the unwritten rules of parking on our new street. We had just relocated from the West End, where parking chaos ruled 24 hours a day, so we were all ears.
It was explained to us that we were to always park directly in front of our home. We were not to park in front of anyone else鈥檚 home, unless we absolutely had to. As soon as the space in front of our home opened up, we were to move our car into it. Disrespect this rule, and we鈥檇 be seriously upsetting our street鈥檚 feng shui.
This neighbour also told us if we followed this simple code of conduct, there would never be any need to obnoxiously reserve our parking spot (which was on city property) by placing buckets, cones, plywood, handmade signs or any other physical objects in the space. That was considered uncouth 鈥� something tolerated south of McGill, but not on our street.
We did as we were told and, lo and behold, it worked 鈥� 98 per cent of the time, we have a parking spot.
With ever-increasing density, this type of parking urgency in East 麻豆传媒映画is a constant battle on most streets, and it鈥檚 never more apparent than during the PNE.
That鈥檚 when the hyper-local phenomenon known as the 鈥淧arking Ladies鈥� or the 鈥淕ranny Cartel鈥� is out in force, waving homemade parking signs on the corners, in an attempt to lure fair-goers into black market parking on lawns, laneways and in garages and carports, for a slightly cheaper rate than the official PNE parking lots.
Award-winning 麻豆传媒映画filmmaker Mina Shum perfectly captures the parking barkers with both humour and empathy in her beautiful 2017 movie , which was filmed on location. Shum has lived in the neighbourhood for 25 years.
The PNE parking issue has existed for longer than that. The earliest mention I could find was a 麻豆传媒映画Sun article from 1987 called 鈥淧NE area residents warned of law against parking jam.鈥� The article detailed $15 fines for residents who crammed more than three vehicles on their property at a time. One ambitious chap in the 3300 block of Turner Street apparently managed to cram 20 cars into his backyard.
About five years ago, increasing gentrification of the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood caused the issue to overheat again. An acceleration of complaints resulted in a 2012 crackdown that produced a huge sign at Hastings and Renfrew: 鈥淏ackyard parking is a major irritant to some residents. BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR. Consider parking in PNE lots, taking transit, or riding your bike to Hastings Park events.鈥�
Announced fines ranged from $100 to $2000, the city stating that 鈥渞esidents are not permitted to solicit motorists, obstruct or impede passage on the streets (including sidewalks and lanes) or call out for the purpose of attracting attention.鈥�
Uh huh. If you were take a drive up Renfrew Street during the last two weeks of August, you鈥檇 have to be careful not to plow into groups of shouting seniors waving homemade parking signs. The woman I spoke to at the corner of Dundas and Renfrew offered me all-day parking for $15 on her front lawn (the PNE charges $20 all day in their main lot).听
For all of the Parking Ladies鈥� detractors, some argue it鈥檚 a neighbourhood tradition that helps older, longtime residents with extra, tax-free cash to tackle the ever-mounting costs of remaining in the 鈥檋ood.
On the busy Hastings-Sunrise Parents Facebook group, the topic of PNE parking, whether on the street or on someone鈥檚 lawn, recently exploded into a thread of 90-plus comments.
One mom commented that, because of the Parking Ladies, one of her daughter鈥檚 first words was 鈥淧ARKING!鈥�
Another mentioned it took the Parking Ladies 15 years to stop jumping out in front of her car, when they finally realized she actually lived on their block.
One person said it鈥檚 often not just the ladies on the corner who are in on the action 鈥� several other houses on various blocks subcontract their yards out for a split of the profits.
Whatever side of this annual debate you park yourself on, you have to admit it 鈥� the Parking Ladies are one of the defining cultural features of Hastings-Sunrise 鈥� just as long as they aren鈥檛 selling public street parking. I also draw the line on those buckets and cones. That鈥檚 uncool. If you tried that shit in the West End, you鈥檇 get your bucket kicked faster than you can yell 鈥淧ARKING!鈥�
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