Veterans park free downtown with veterans license plate

Veterans can now park free year-round in downtown Burlington if they have a veterans license plate – they don’t need to apply for a hanging tag for their rear view mirror in addition to having the plate. This change was supported by the Royal Canadian Legion which issues veterans license plates, and the city’s Downtown Parking Committee. Council approved the change in July following a motion I brought to  eliminate this second step of applying for a hanging tag for veterans who already have a license plate.

Background:

Prior to the change, veterans could park free in downtown Burlington with the display of a parking permit tag in their windshield, renewed annually with the city at no cost. Veterans could also park free with a valid veteran’s license plate, but only on select days: five days per year tied to memorial services for specific battles.

I received a request from a veteran in my ward to extend free parking to veterans with a veteran’s license plate from the five days to year round, to eliminate the need for someone who has a veterans license plate to also fill out the paperwork to get an annual parking permit for their vehicle.

The criteria to qualify for a city veterans parking tag and for a veteran’s license plate are almost identical.

Veterans who do not have a veterans license plate would still need to apply for a rear window parking tag in order to park free downtown.

Read my memo to committee on this issue here: Parking for Veterans