If discussion at Arnprior Council on the new Winter Parking rules Monday night (November 25th) had been a TikTok video it might have said, “a bunch of well-meaning people approaching the issue from different perspectives jammed on the brakes to avoid slipping into a collision.”
At the 54 minute 30 second mark is where it ended in real time.
Councillor Chris Couper may not have set a record for “whereas” clauses in his notice of motion, but there were in fact seventeen in its preamble- and Council twice suspended the Town’s Procedural Bylaw to get the matter on the table for urgent discussion.
Seems when the new rules came into effect on Friday November 15th, (at least) one Warning Ticket issued by Town Bylaw omitted the word “Warning” from the notice, and the resident paid the fine.
Couper and others of his peers were gung-ho to get it fixed until the road blocks to doing so were fully laid out by staff and the matter fizzled.
Representative Tom Burnette expressed his disappointment.
Chris Couper, citing legal complexities raised, financial considerations implied, and potential logistical nightmares of notification, decided maybe he had over-reached with what had been a laudable goal.
Councillor Lynn Cloutier spoke in favour of the changes made November 15th, suggesting thing will shake out with time.
A Staff report will reassess the situation in 2025.
By Rick Stow