Montreal parking agency admits error after veteran councillor ticketed

Montreal’s parking agency has acknowledged that a city councillor was mistakenly ticketed despite displaying a commemorative veterans’ licence plate during the city’s Remembrance Day free parking period.

Sterling Downey, a Projet Montréal city councillor and military reservist who helped introduce the exemption in 2022, says he returned to his vehicle Monday evening to find a parking ticket on his windshield.

“The problem with that is I have a veterans plate,” Downey told CityNews.

And he wasn’t the only veteran to receive a ticket that night.

Major Benoît Léveillé, who served more than 30 years with the Régiment de Maisonneuve, says he received a $100 ticket after attending the same military ceremony downtown, where Montreal’s mayor was being honoured.

Léveillé says he initially paid around $8 for parking but did not renew his payment after learning that veterans with commemorative plates were entitled to free parking.

When he returned to his vehicle around 8:30 or 9 p.m., a ticket was waiting.

Montreal introduced the annual exemption in 2022, allowing vehicles with commemorative veterans’ plates to park free at on-street parking meters from Nov. 3 to 11.

The incidents have raised questions about how the exemption is communicated and enforced.

Earlier this month, someone who contacted the Agence de mobilité durable received an email saying the agency had not yet received official confirmation of this year’s arrangements. The email advised the person to follow posted parking restrictions and pay when required.

Downey says the incident highlights the importance of ensuring that city regulations are clearly communicated to those responsible for enforcing them.

In a statement to CityNews, the Agence de mobilité durable acknowledged that Downey’s ticket was issued in error.

The agency said it would contact the appropriate City of Montreal authorities to seek its cancellation, noting that only the court has the authority to cancel a ticket.

It also confirmed that the exemption remains in effect under Montreal’s 2026 tariff bylaw and maintained that parking enforcement officers have been informed of the measure and its conditions.

The agency says it will take steps to prevent similar errors.

The agency has not confirmed whether Léveillé’s ticket was issued in error.

The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) says eligible veterans can apply for commemorative licence plates through the Royal Canadian Legion, which determines eligibility. The annual vehicle registration fee remains unchanged.

Downey is urging anyone who has a veterans plate and who received a ticket during the Nov. 3–11 exemption period to contest it, even going back to 2022. He says affected motorists can contact him for help obtaining supporting documentation.

The councillor would also like to see the free parking exemption extended year-round.

For Léveillé, who serves as secretary-treasurer of the Régiment de Maisonneuve Veterans Association, easier parking is about more than saving money.

He says some veterans travel from outside Montreal to attend gatherings at their former military barracks, but parking difficulties can discourage them from making the trip.

“Some veterans come from outside Montreal and find it difficult to get to the barracks by car,” Léveillé said in French. “Parking is always an obstacle, so free or reduced rates could make it easier for them to get together more often.”