City of Hamilton and United Way Halton & Hamilton launch Toys for Tickets, enabling residents to pay parking fines through toy donations
From Dec. 2 to 6, 2024, Hamilton residents have the chance to transform their parking fines into holiday cheer through the Toys for Tickets pilot program. During this period, individuals who have been issued parking tickets can pay their fines by donating a new, unwrapped toy of equal or greater value than their ticket.
The donated toys will be distributed through United Way Halton & Hamilton as part of its Holiday Helping Hand program. Kristen Jacob, vice president of marketing and communications for the organization, highlighted that the program aligns with its mission to support community well-being through initiatives targeting youth, poverty and mental health.
"[Toys for Tickets] is a program that offers meaningful ways for the community to engage with United Way and support their community . . . It is critical for our community to receive some of these toys so that children have a joyous holiday season," said Jacob.
It is critical for our community to receive some of these toys so that children have a joyous holiday season.
Kristen Jacob, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
United Way Halton & Hamilton
United Way Halton & Hamilton supported over 220,500 individuals and families across 124 social service programs last year. Jacob highlighted that one in six people in Hamilton access their services and the demand continues to increase.
"[The] thing is that when we ask family members what their wish lists are for the year or the program, they come back with things that are a little shocking to us," Jacob explained, describing that wish lists included gift cards for gas, basic hygiene products and food.
Jacob also highlighted the program's unique impact. "It gives an extra layer of compassion from people who already need to pay that fine, knowing that the toys being donated through this program are going to families who desperately need them this year . . . [the toys] gives them something to look forward to," said Jacob.
It gives an extra layer of compassion from people who already need to pay that fine, knowing that the toys being donated through this program are going to families who desperately need them this year.
Kristen Jacob, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
United Way Halton & Hamilton
In addition to Toys for Tickets, United Way encourages the community to explore other ways to give back. Options include online donations, monthly giving, or volunteering.
Looking ahead, United Way Halton & Hamilton is preparing for its Sleepless in Our Cities program in February 2025. This event raises awareness about poverty by inviting participants to spend a night in their vehicles to better understand the realities of homelessness.
Universities are hubs for innovation and creativity. And sometimes, this creativity can be used to cheat the system and park for free.
Since the start of 2013, McMaster Parking and Security Services have issued 75 tickets to people who were caught trying to circumvent the parking system.
There are an indeterminate number of students, faculty and visitors whose parking-related mischief goes completely unnoticed and unpunished. And there are plenty of methods being used to beat the system.
Sarah, a McMaster grad, said that she parked illegally all the time.
“My best tactic has been to use a previously issued ticket and put it on my windshield pretending that I had already been ticketed [that day]. Works like a charm,” she said.
A Fleming College student named Dan had a similar tactic. When visiting McMaster to see his girlfriend on weekends, he would park around the west quad, in Lot M, or the one behind Bates Hall.
“Over there, they give you a warning slip before they issue a ticket,” he explained. “I just keep the warning in my glove box, put it in under my windshield wipers when I park, and they just assume someone already gave me a warning.”
Other approaches can be less simple. Justine, a Mac grad, said that she used to use a frying pan to get out of paying for parking.
Her story references the smaller parking lot in front of Ivor Wynne. In that lot, a driver pulls up to the automatic arm and ticket dispenser. A metal detector identifies the car and issues a barcode that says what time the driver arrived at the lot. Upon leaving, the driver is supposed to insert this barcode, and be charged according to how long he or she has been parked there. The driver can then pay using debit or credit.
A stay of less than 15 minutes is free of charge.
Justine invented a scheme one day, when for a reason that is forgotten, she had a frying pan in her car. She thought “If it’s a metal detector, I bet it will pick up this frying pan”.
And so it began. When leaving the parking lot, instead of using the voucher she got when she parked, Justine would go back to the entrance, wave the frying pan in front of the metal detector, and receive a new voucher with that time encoded on it. While exiting, she would simply insert that new voucher into the machine, and being less than fifteen minutes since waving her frying pan, she could leave the lot for free.
“I probably did it 40 or 50 times,” she said. “I didn’t have to pay very often.”
The plot thickened if someone started looking at her waving a frying pan in a parking lot. Of course, she would wait for quiet moments to run over to the metal detector, but if someone did notice her, Justine would call them over, and offer up her secret method in exchange for their silence.
Those without the fortitude to amass a scheme can get away with free parking too. Will Farr, a Kinesiology student at McMaster, told a story of a very simple way to escape parking charges.
“I was walking from Les Prince when I looked over to the parking lot in front of Hedden. I saw a guy in a big, black SUV drive over the curb and turn around the barrier, so he didn’t have to pay for parking.”
Terry Sullivan is the director of Security and Parking Services. He said that his department is doing important work to stop this issue.
“Not paying for parking is theft and we treat is seriously.”
“Parking revenue contributes to the betterment of the University through reconstruction of sidewalks, roadways and bike pads,” said Sullivan.
Anyone caught attempting to scam free parking receives a $75 fine and a suspension of their parking privileges for a month.
Parking lots are regularly monitored by staff and closed-circuit video cameras.
Photo credit: Julia Redmond / News Editor
