Canadian Parking Association

PRESS RELEASE Zola Predosa, Bologna

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:36:10 GMT

2012 CPA Conference & Tradeshow

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:51:37 GMT

10 Incredible Parking Garage Designs

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:14:08 GMT

http://www.thecoolist.com/parking-garage-design-10-modernist-masterpieces/

CPA Awards & Recognition

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:42:45 GMT

Many members of the parking industry have been acknowledged by Principals of Read Jones Christoffersen through two awards: The Ted Seeberg Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Canadian Parking Industry and the Ed Keate Award for Outstanding Contribution to Advancement of Knowledge in the Parking Industry.

Visit our web page to have look at past award recipients and watch for details on how to submit your nomination for 2012 (coming soon).

UWindsor to construct integrated Innovation Centre and Parking Structure

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:05:29 GMT

more...

Parking meters scrapped at St. John's hospital

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:58:00 GMT

In a release issued by Eastern Health, it said the new system will allow users to pay by a variety of methods and said patients and visitors will no longer receive parking tickets for expired meters.

"The goal is to offer better access to parking along with a payment system that is easier for patients, clients and family members who visit the hospitals and the Cancer Centre," said George Butt, Vice-President of Corporate Services in the release. Drivers will receive a ticket when they enter the lot and present the ticket at a kiosk when they exit to determine the cost of parking. Patients and visitors will also be able to pay inside the Health Sciences Center. Eastern Health has recently come under fire for charging patients parking fees since an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal described the practice of charging patients for parking at hospitals as a “barrier to care.” Parking rates for the new system have not been determined.

Construction of the new parking system is slated to start in the spring and the system is expected to be in operation by September 2012.

Visit our Career Center

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:45:03 GMT

Free parking in peninsular Halifax may end

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:08:53 GMT

Right now, many downtown commuters leave their vehicles on residential streets that allow all-day parking at no charge.

But if Halifax regional council agrees to go ahead with changes, permits will be required on a total of eight streets. The permits would go on sale in February.

They would cost from $20 to $40 a month, except for residents who can park on their own street for $30 per year, Dave McCusker, HRM's manager for strategic transportation planning, said Monday.

"The rationale for doing this is really to have control on the parking on the street so that there is parking availability for the people who live on them," he said.

"A number of streets in high demand areas get saturated with parking and residents just simply can't find a space when they need it."

Right now, William Street, off of Robie Street, is the only street on the peninsula where permit parking is allowed. It costs $60 per month.

Todd Yeadon can't park near his home on Maynard Street because so many commuters take advantage of the free parking.Todd Yeadon can't park near his home on Maynard Street because so many commuters take advantage of the free parking. (CBC)Very few commuters find that to be much of a deal, so William Street is practically empty on a weekday.

Todd Yeadon lives a few blocks away on Maynard Street, where anyone can park free all day.

"We have a lot of commuters coming in here and not wanting to pay a dime," he said. "So, it ends up as a taxpayer and a homeowner on the street and community, I can't even park near my house, let alone sometimes even on my street."

So to accommodate homeowners like Yeadon and to make some money, the city is going to charge commuters to park on Maynard Street and six other streets on the peninsula including Woodill, Wright and Falkland.

Residents on those selected streets will pay $30 per year.

McCusker said the city thinks this will reduce congestion.

"The other message that this project is trying to put forward is that we would prefer people not to drive and to park downtown, and to use transit and park and ride or car pooling to get to work," he said.

The city is also dropping the price of the permit for non-residents from $60 to between $20 and $40 depending on how close the street is to downtown.

Bill Josef, who parks his car on Trollope Street, said he'd be happy to pay for this kind of permit, but it doesn't mean there would be a spot waiting for him.

"The thing I mind is there is no guarantee of a spot. So you could end up paying $40 and still not parking here. That would be a concern," he said.

Council wanted to have permit parking on 12 streets, but residents on those other streets voted against it.

Carmanah Honoured as one of VIATeC Top 25

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:11:54 GMT

The VIATeC 25 is an annual listing of the largest technology companies headquartered or founded in Greater Victoria. The companies, which are selected on the basis of revenue performance, are responsible for creating almost 3000 jobs and represent nearly $1 billion in combined revenues. The award celebrates the health of the Vancouver Island technology sector and its impact on the local economy and community.

According to VIATeC executive director, Dan Gunn, the award also serves as a barometer for the entire technology industry.

“We’re honoured to be recognized as one of Victoria’s top 25 technology companies. Victoria is host to a thriving technology sector which we are proud to be a part of,” states Roland Sartorius, CFO of Carmanah Technologies.

2011 marks Carmanah’s eighth consecutive year on the VIATeC top 25 list.

VIATeC is a nonprofit society of members representing the local advanced-technology community. The VIATeC 25 is an annual listing of the largest technology companies headquartered or founded in Greater Victoria, based on revenue, and is sponsored by KPMG and Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy LLP.

VRTUCAR Eco Campus Commuter

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:33:37 GMT

RJC is part of the award-winning Canadian engineering team rebuilding schools in Haiti

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:43:10 GMT

The WoodWorks! Awards program recognizes excellence in the building industry. The awards are given annually by the Canadian Wood Council acknowledging projects that push the limits of wood design in structures, and demonstrate excellence in the use of wood.

Although the firms are normally competitors, it was recognized early on that a much bigger impact would be felt if we joined forces. However, the collaboration extends beyond the firms themselves. The project is being undertaken in partnership with Finn Church Aid (FCA), a Finnish NGO, as well as local Haitian architects, contractors and trades people.

St. Joseph School (above), which opened in September 2011, is one of 12 Haitian schools the Canadian engineers are working to rebuild by the end of 2012. Since the project started just one year ago, two schools have opened, two are under construction and three more are out to tender.

An important component is the ‘knowledge and training program’, intended to grow the capacity of local engineers and share new construction techniques with the trades. By sharing knowledge and teaching Haitian engineers examples of best practices, the collective goal is for future building projects in Haiti to be better designed and constructed against earthquakes and hurricanes.

Instead of designing temporary or transitional schools, the firms are creating permanent schools with simple but robust structures using durable materials that are locally-sourced wherever possible. “The WoodWORKS! Wood Advocate Award demonstrates that quality design and engineering excellence can be achieved even in underdeveloped countries in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Receiving this is a true honour,” Shane concludes.

RJC is delighted to continue being part of this project, showing that a small-scale volunteer effort can make a significant difference in the lives of Haitian children – today and for generations to come.

More University of Windsor parking coming

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:51:44 GMT

President Allan Wildeman says it will add approximately 300 additional parking spaces to the campus.

"It will enable us to consolidate our parking to a smaller footprint on campus. And in doing so it will enable us to reduce the number of surface lots that we have and made the campus greener more attractive," Wildeman said. "And also, [it will] free up land for the future." Councillor Ron Jones applauds the news.

"This is just another good news story coming from the University of Windsor," Jones said. "The fact is, it will alleviate a parking issue we've confronted on the west side for some time now." Jones described the parking issue as "major." He says fraudulent passes exists and that residential passes are sometimes bought and sold between students and residents.The parking structure should be completed by the summer of 2013. It will consist of 1,055 spaces and some of those will be reserved for electric cars. The structure will also have security cameras. By consolidating surface lots into one new structure, the university will create more green space, too. "Any time we can have green space it’s good for the environment," Jones said.

Parking meters go high tech

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:11:41 GMT

Ottawa, ON -According to the city, nearly 40% of all revenue collected by the pay-and-display machines is from credit card transactions. Staff expect the number to increase since a pay-by-phone system is scheduled to be launched early in 2012.

The pay-by-phone system will allow people to refresh the time on their parking meters by phone or Internet, rather than running back to a meter to pay. The machines will also use “near field communication,” allowing people to simply wave their cell phones in front of a parking meter to pay if their credit card data is stored on their phones.

The city has stopped producing parking-specific smart cards since credit card payments have become so popular. People who have parking cards can get the balance cashed out by the city. Staff say the cards only accounted for roughly 2% of gross parking revenue in 2009.

The city started installing new pay-and-display machines in 2010 to replace the old coin meters. The machines accept both credit cards and coins.

While the machines have provided motorists with another payment option, the city is missing out on revenue generated from people not feeding the coin parking meters on time. Bylaw services have forecasted a revenue decrease of $500,000 in 2012 partly because the new parking machines make it easier for people to pay, avoiding costly fines.

Digital Payment Technologies Completes Successful Trial Deployments for LUKE II Multi-Space Parking Pay Stations

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:55:00 GMT

Trial clients across these markets — Ann Arbor, Mich.; Texas A&M University and with VINCI Park in Vancouver, B.C. — are pleased with LUKE II’s new capabilities that deliver improved consumer satisfaction, enhanced operational security and increased revenue.

The flexible LUKE II pay station can be customized to meet specific needs and evolve over time as those needs change without costly hardware upgrades. Designed for easy integration with technologies and services from parking industry partners, LUKE II enables the implementation of best-in-class parking solutions. Following are the top new features available with LUKE II:

·       Multiple operational modes: Supports Pay-and-Display, Pay-by-Space and Pay-by-License Plate parking modes.
·       Separate maintenance and collection compartments: Enhances security, collections efficiency and audit abilities.
·       Enhanced locking mechanism and electronic lock support: Offers doors with improved security and access control, and sensors that provide alerts to the Enterprise Management System (EMS) regarding activity with doors and currency collection canisters.
·       38-Key Alphanumeric Keypad: Allows for easy navigation and insertion of license plate information for the Pay-by-License Plate operational mode.
·       Extend-by-Phone: Allows consumers to receive a text message when time is about to expire and add time via text, for credit card based transactions initiated at the pay station.

“Response to the new machines has been overwhelmingly favorable,” said Joseph Morehouse, deputy director at Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, where trial units in a Pay-by-Space (PBS) environment have been placed in the most highly-trafficked areas of the city. “The overall design of LUKE II has been much appreciated by the consumers; in particular, the placement of the receipt cup, coin acceptor and especially the credit card reader, as it is our most popular payment method.”

At Texas A&M, where two PBS pay stations have been trialed, the emphasis was on ease of operations and collections.

“From a service and support standpoint, we appreciate the security benefits that separate collections and maintenance provide,” said Dell Hamilton, parking services manager at Texas A&M. “Our collections and maintenance personnel appreciate the easy access to the coin collector and battery, respectively. The redesign of the cabinet shows DPT understands the needs of the staff who work with the pay stations on a daily basis.”

The VINCI Park deployment in Vancouver included trialing the Pay-by-License Plate (PBL) operational mode, which has been well-received by consumers, thanks to LUKE II’s 38-key alphanumeric keypad and large color display with easy-to-follow prompts.

Explained Kelly Kellogg, operations manager for Vancouver at VINCI Park, “The deployment of the new PBL mode was easy. Even though the parking lots we trialed were previously employing a Pay-and-Display (PND) mode, our consumers have seamlessly adopted and embraced this new parking method.”

VINCI Park also reports an increase in revenue since deploying the new LUKE II pay stations, which they attribute to a higher compliance rate, as PBL eliminates “pass back,” a practice in which users hand off receipts with unused time. In addition, the newly-available Extend-by-Phone functionality makes it easy for consumers to add time to their parking sessions remotely.

“Whether a parking operator, municipality or university, the flexibility of our pay stations allows us to provide solutions to meet each client’s unique needs,” said Alan Menezes, vice president of product management and marketing at DPT. “We are very pleased with the results from these LUKE II trials in DPT’s key market segments, and are now ramping up production shipments.”

For more information or sales inquiries on LUKE II, please contact your local DPT reseller, call 1-888-687-6822 or visit http://www.digitalpaytech.com.

About Digital Payment Technologies
Digital Payment Technologies (DPT) is an innovative leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of electronic pay stations, management software, and online services for the parking industry. DPT products provide complete financial tracking, control, and reporting on parking revenue collected by cities, municipalities, universities, parking management companies, private operators, and national parks, from customer payment through to bank deposit. For more information visit: http://www.digitalpaytech.com.

RFI - City of Waterloo, ON - Gather Information on Parking Technologies

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:11:04 GMT

From Print to Digital, Slowly: The Evolution of the Circular

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:39:44 GMT

To track the evolution of the store circular, one need only follow the smudge. A Nielsen survey of 11,000 shoppers found that roughly 60 percent of consumers look at printed circulars at least once a week, but today’s fingerprints are increasingly likely to be found on tablet and smartphone screens as opposed to the pages of paper circulars.

Retailer e-mails are just as likely to reach consumers as the paper circular, and millenials in particular are increasingly likely to view a store’s website on a PC, and are more likely than other demographics to use a social media website or smartphone as an alternative to the paper circular.

While a full 70 percent of shoppers have expressed a desire to have their circulars delivered digitally in some form – via e-mail or over the web – in total only 18 percent of shoppers have ever used a smartphone to determine what’s available in-store and only 33 percent have accessed that information on a tablet device. In contrast, 90 percent of shoppers still want paper delivery. Thus, the transition to digital circulars is expected to be gradual, a gentle migration that will accelerate in proportion with both shoppers’ and retailers’ level of comfort with electronic platforms.

RFI - Cell Phone / Mobile Payment Parking System for Toronto

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:42:56 GMT

It has issued a Request for Information to solicit submissions from interested proponents/vendors for the provision of a system to allow parking fees to be paid by cell phones and/or other mobile devices at all of its on-street paid parking areas and off-street parking lots controlled by pay and display machines and potentially encompassing its gate-controlled facilities.

To obtain a copy of this document please forward your request to Mobilepaymentrfi@greenp.com prior to December 14, 2011.

Royal Canadian Mint is planning the release of new $1 and $2 coins.

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:51:45 GMT

These new coins will be produced using different alloys, and will be similar in construction to the current 5c, 10, 25c coins in circulation today. Based on the change in alloys, all coin accepting devices across Canada will require a software modification to enable the acceptance of these new $1 and $2 coins.

New tap-and-pay technology for parking meters

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:20:42 GMT

The upgraded meters will let car parkers holding smartphones equipped with near field communication technology – allowing short-range wireless transmissions between the phone and a receiver – touch their handset against the meter’s reader or wave their phone near it to charge their credit card, speeding up the payment process.

Though the tap-and-pay technology is used in only a handful of smartphones right now, many gadget watchers expect it to become standard in high-tech phones.

The pay-by-phone system will also let users start or extend parking time using a regular phone or the Internet.

Payment by credit card, coins or parking tokens will still be accepted at the meters, though plans for a new reloadable parking card have been shelved.

The new meters aren’t the only upgrade coming for transit-related payments in Ottawa.

Last month, OC Transpo announced plans to switch over to the province-backed Presto fare card next summer. Presto is loaded with funds like a gift card, and is used by tapping it against a reader.

It will replace pre-bought tickets and monthly passes

The parking meter report says that credit card payments have skyrocketed since “Pay & Display” meters were rolled out in 2010. Payment by credit card now makes up 39 per cent of revenues drawn from the city’s 4,000 parking spots.

ParkPlus vehicles may be enlisted in hunt for stolen vehicles

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:25:41 GMT

If some technical hurdles can be overcome, it could mean a significant new tool to find some of the thousands of cars and trucks purloined in Calgary every year and then dumped on city streets and parking lots.

Locating them more quickly could aid police investigations and return the vehicles more swiftly to their rightful owners.

“Say we get a match, then we just send that to police every day,” said Troy McLeod, the parking authority’s general manager. “If they can use it, great, or if it helps in their investigations, great.”

Both parking officials and police caution discussions are in the early stages and nothing has been decided.

But the move would cost the parking authority next to nothing and the ParkPlus vehicles would carry on their normal duties while at the same time flagging stolen vehicles.

The parking authority hopes to soon experiment with stolen-vehicle licence plate information to get a sense of how many cars will be detected using their specialized cameras.

One of the main issues to sort out is the automated transfer of the stolen-car licence plate information from the Canadian Police Information Centre into the parking authority’s system, McLeod said.

As the ParkPlus vehicles roam Calgary streets, their cameras scan every licence plate they pass and photograph every vehicle.

The ParkPlus cars cover more than 25,000 parking spots, including authority surface lots and parkades, Calgary Transit park and ride lots, and along streets where ParkPlus machines are installed.

At the end of the day, that information is downloaded from the ParkPlus laptops and compared to payments. If you haven’t paid, or overstayed your time, expect a ticket in the mail with a time-and-date-stamped photo of your vehicle as proof.

What transit officials are now working on is integrating a daily automated check for stolen-vehicle licence plates, flagging them so the precise time and location can then be turned over to police.

“It would be nice to recover those (vehicles) as quickly as we can before they’re used for something else or to help folks get their vehicles back,” police spokesman Kevin Brookwell said.

The number of stolen cars and trucks in Calgary has been cut by 40 per cent in recent years, in large part due to a specialized police unit dedicated to nothing but vehicle thievery.

Even so, last year there were 4,604 thefts or attempted thefts. Brookwell said in some cases, criminals stash stolen cars in strategic locations to use periodically during robberies and break and enters.

Typically, stolen vehicles are found by patrol officers or through tips from the public who spot a car that just seems out of place in their neighbourhood.

If the technological issues can be worked out, the parking authority’s help could be particularly useful when finding stolen vehicles in parking lots, where a dumped auto blends in.

Short-term airport parking almost done

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:35:11 GMT

During construction, which started in September, customers in need of short-term parking have had to use the long-term parking lot, which is further from the terminal and across an area covered with gravel.

That has caused inconvenience for customers who need accessible parking.

Charlottetown airport CEO Doug Newson said airport staff are available to provide help if needed.

He said commissionaires have relaxed the rules for dropping people off at the front door.

“We can't have cars parking there overnight, but certainly in the long-term parking lot as close as we can get, there are designated spots,” Newson said. “We even had some commissionaires offering to go get cars for people.”

He said they’ve even offered to bring luggage to and from the long-term parking lot.

“They’ve been very friendly in that way to accommodate people."

The parking lot is being repaved and 70 new parking spots are being added.

Most of the construction on the new parking lot will be complete by the second week of November.

Bank of Canada to Begin Circulating New $100 Polymer Bank Note

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:58:27 GMT

More information

http://www.bankofcanada.ca/2011/11/media-advisories/bank-of-canada-begin-circulating-new-100-polymer-bank-note/

Please find all media releases here:
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/media-room/
<http://www.bankofcanada.ca/media-room/> . Our website is bilingual as well.

Free educational products:
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/audience-specific-resources/retailers-2/
<http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/audience-specific-resources/retailers-2/>
. You will find, for example, leaflet with all the security features. The Bank of Canada offers free training sessions.

Scheidt & Bachmann Celebrates 140 Years

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:50:08 GMT

Developed Industry's first automated pay stations
Industy's first mag-stripe parking system.
First in indsutry of commercial use for LPR in a parking application.
First in industry for implementation of Credit Card in and out functionality.

Scheidt & Bachmann Opened up offices in North America in 1996 and installed our first North American solution at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Since then, more than 17 Major Airports in the US have installed Scheidt & Bachmann parking solutions. Read more ..

AMANO McGANN REVAMPS ST. JOSEPH’S REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER PARKING FACILITIES

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:14:35 GMT

The third phase of the project is currently underway for the newly constructed campus housing, St. Joseph’s Critical Care Building and Emergency Room. Six surface lots will be completed in this phase, providing the medical center with a full parking access, revenue, and control system throughout the facility grounds. The comprehensive system will include barrier gates, entry and exit stations, automatic pay-on-foot stations, AVI readers, the iParcProfessional Software Suite and Amano Valet Solution.
Core benefits St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center will acquire from the new parking system are increased control over employee parking areas and fees, faster throughput, and enhanced customer satisfaction. The new system will provide employees with hands free access to designated areas and parking fees can now be collected automatically through employee payroll deduction. Parking congestion will be significantly reduced through the controlled employee parking system and two additional entry and exit lanes. Amano Valet will replace the medical center’s manually operated system increasing facility control, reporting capabilities, and customer convenience.
Amano McGann, Inc., with 240+ US-based employees, in combination with Amano USA Holdings and Amano Corporation, is a worldwide organization with annual revenues in excess of $900million. As world leaders in the manufacturing and distribution of hardware and software solutions for the parking industry, Amano McGann distributes nationally through branch offices and an authorized dealer network and provides a level of service and experience unmatched in the industry.

For more information on the St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center project and other Amano McGann parking solutions please call 612-331-2020 or visit www.amanomcgann.com.

Your cash is about to turn to plastic

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:35:54 GMT

“They combine transparency, holography, and other sophisticated security elements not seen before on currency anywhere,” said Ted Mieszkalski, senior regional representative in the currency department.

Canada’s new $100 note — which will be the first in circulation, beginning in November — features images focusing on medical innovation.

The $50 note, which will be use in March 2012, will feature the Canadian coast guard ship Amundsen in the North, reflecting the country’s role in Arctic research.

Meantime, the $20, $10, and $5 bills will be issued by the end of 2013 and will feature the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, The Canadian train in the Rockies, and the Canadarm2 and Dextre robots respectively.

Note size, colour and figurehead will stay the same as the current paper versions.

Thin, smooth and difficult to replicate, the polymer notes are imported from Australia and printed in Canada.

The paper bills, which will keep their legal tender, cost 10 cents each to manufacture.

While the polymer bills cost between 18 cents and 19 cents each to make, they will last at least 2.5 times longer than their paper predecessors — approximately 16 years for a $100 note and eight for a $20 note.

Security features unprecedented on any currency will make the new notes nearly impossible to counterfeit, officials said.

Most prominently, the bills will include transparent “windows” with complex holographic features inside.

“We are confident the state-of-the-art security features embedded in these new bank notes will be successful and a powerful tool in the fight against currency counterfeiting,” said RCMP Sgt. Glenn Demmon.

Officials are also launching an awareness campaign to teach retailers and financial institutions how to recognize fake notes.

The Bank of Canada is also providing test notes to the owners of cash machines so they can calibrate the equipment to read both paper and plastic money indefinitely.

jenna.mcmurray@sunmedia.ca