‘Overzealous’ bylaw officers upset parents during cold snap

How far is too far when it comes to enforcing parking rules?

That’s the question Saskatoon city councillor Darren Hill is asking after a bylaw officer ruffled some feathers with parents on Monday.

School buses were not running that day because of the cold temperatures, so the principal at Ecole Henry Kelsey informed parents they could use the loading zone reserved for school buses to pick up their children after school.

A parent who tried to use the loading zone took to Twitter after they were met by an officer who refused to bend the rules.

Saskatoon's Parking Enforcement Team is *Overzealous*: A Thread. Today it was so cold in YXE that the school buses didn't run. So we all drove our kids to school. At pick up, b/c of the cold and b/c of covid precautions, they can up with a plan to keep everyone safe and warm.1/

— 867-5309 (@saskatcheyawn) January 26, 2021

We were asked to text upon arrival and let the office know which kid was ours, at which point they'd call our kid over the loudspeaker and they'd leave through the front door. 2/

— 867-5309 (@saskatcheyawn) January 26, 2021

The principal sent an email outlining all of this and said "since there are no buses, feel free to park in the Bus Parking Zone" (which is about 2 blocks long. It's a sprawling school). 4/

— 867-5309 (@saskatcheyawn) January 26, 2021

But when I arrived I saw that no one was in the Bus zone. The cars were instead spread out on side streets and across the road. "Maybe they didn't get the email" I thought as I parked in the Bus zone. Almost immediately a parking enforcement officer knocked on my window. 6/

— 867-5309 (@saskatcheyawn) January 26, 2021

He told me to move. "I know the principal told you that it was okay to park here but that's not his call to make." So I had to drive around and find a spot across the road and I lined up to wait with many other parents in the cold. 7/

— 867-5309 (@saskatcheyawn) January 26, 2021

“I think I find the parking enforcement officers are a little eager. Maybe (they’re) not as flexible in terms of utilizing their discretion,” Hill told the Brent Loucks Show on Wednesday.

“The (officers) are correct. The principal didn’t have the authority to override the school bus zone, but he was being innovative and thinking of the kids’ safety.”

With wind chills below -40 C, Hill believes the officer could have used more leeway with parents in this circumstance.

“Especially when it’s cold like this and the buses are not running,” Hill said. “There needs to be accommodation made.

“We just need to have our transportation branch talk with the school board and make sure we’ve got the right authority to do this when we need it again.”

According to Hill, school zones are regularly monitored by bylaw enforcement officers, but it was a coincidence an officer was there on this day.

In a tweet, Mayor Charlie Clark said he would look into the matter as well.

Saskatoon Public Schools offers apology to families

Saskatoon Public Schools told 650 CKOM Wednesday it had the “best of intentions” in asking its students’ parents to park in that specific bus zone.

“On an extremely cold day when school buses had been cancelled, the school’s administration was trying to efficiently and safely facilitate pick up for all students,” an emailed statement read.

The statement goes on to say the school division understands the bus zones are created and enforced by the City of Saskatoon.

“We apologize for giving families the direction to park in the bus zones,” it concludes.