The Capital Regional District’s parks committee meets today to consider implementing parking fees at nine more area parks.
At present, only Thetis Lake and Sooke Potholes have parking fees, which are seasonal and in effect from May 1 to Sept. 30. The cost is $2.25 a day or $20 for a season’s pass.
A staff report recommends adding paid seasonal parking in 2022 to nine parks, with a gradual implementation over three years. This, along with existing fees, would generate $1.9 million annually.
The parks are Devonian, East Sooke, Elk/Beaver Lake, Francis/King, Horth Hill, Matheson Lake, Mill Hill, Mount Work and Witty’s Lagoon.
Saanich Coun. Rebecca Mersereau, the parks committee chairwoman, said the parks were chosen largely based on the number of visitors they get.
Not on the list is Island View Beach Regional Park, even though Mersereau said a lot of people seem to think it is. “I would say the majority of emails in my inbox do concern Island View,” she said.
However, the parking lot is owned by Central Saanich.
There had been some contact between the municipality and the CRD over the issue, but council indicated in a unanimous vote Monday night it was not interested in parking fees at Island View.
Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor said there had been considerable community feedback about the prospect of fees.
“Basically, philosophically, parks should be free access,” he said.
Merserau said she is aware that some people question parking fees.
“I think one important thing to consider is that there are costs associated with operating parks, of course,” she said. “Those costs are growing because our parks system is growing and because there is growing interest in our parks.
“We have to cover those costs somehow.”
Regional parks have been seeing a lot of use over the past year, with visits going from 7.5 million in 2019 to 8.5 million in 2020. Elk/Beaver Lake was the most popular, with 1.7 million visits in 2020.
Mersereau said the costs are largely covered through taxation right now.
“So the question really is do we want to continue to rely on taxation, or do we want to see if there is some strategy to help offset some of those property-tax pressures by introducing fees.”
