Is charging out-of-towners more to park at local beaches considered “price gouging”?
That’s what Premier Doug Ford said on Friday, when he was asked about a recent increase in waterfront parking rates in Barrie and Orillia.
Ford added, “ I can’t stand when companies or governments take advantage of people in a crisis and they start gouging. People can barely put food on their tables. They can barely pay their rent, their mortgage. People are hanging on by their fingertips. Some municipal government wants to gouge you — it’s disgusting.”
Last month, Barrie council approved an increase to the hourly rate for parking along the lakeshore for non-residents to $10, or $50 a day.
But Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman reacted on social media, calling Ford’s comments “disappointing” and invited him to see the problem for himself.
Orillia is also charging out-of-towners fifty bucks to park or launch boats from Thursday to Sunday.
Ford said he is planning to talk to Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey and Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop about the issue.
All levels of government have had to be creative and use our limited tools to deal with consequences of the pandemic. We've worked well together and so these comments are disappointing. I’m pleased to invite @fordnation to Barrie to view the situation&discuss if he'd like (4/4)
— Jeff Lehman (@jedi_lehman) July 24, 2020