There is no free parking in Toronto starting on Family Day

Toronto drivers will no longer be able to park their cars on the street for free on holidays.

Generally, police do not enforce on-street parking on the nine statutory holidays observed in Ontario.

But on February 19, also known as the statutory Family Day, all that changes.

The Toronto Police Service said in a press release that the change was made in response to “the development needs of our growing city, which has seen a significant increase in demand for parking.”

They cited streetcar corridors, bike lanes and CafeTO as reasons for increased competition for curbside, in addition to “other infrastructure developments.”

“Historically, this has been the practice of non-compliance, but there are no bylaws specifically exempting statutory holidays from compliance, and this change is consistent with existing legislation that allows for use on those days,” officials said.

Money collected from parking tickets goes to the City of Toronto.

In October, the City Council voted to increase the fine for parking violations from $30 to $75, or leaving a vehicle on municipal property without a permit.