The MPP for London West says it's hard to see parking fees at Komoka Provincial Park as anything more than a "cash grab" by the Wynne government.
Rising in the Legislature on Monday, New Democrat Peggy Sattler called on the province to scrap the parking fees.
“Free access to the park has allowed Londoners to reap the health and social benefits associated with outdoor physical activity,” Sattler said. “Rio Olympian and London West constituent Lanni Marchant, who just broke a record for a Canadian woman in the New York City Marathon, trained by running on the trails of Komoka Park.”
She claims she has been contacted be several constituents who are upset by the fees and say they won't be able to afford to go to the park anymore.
“There was no call for a paved parking lot,” Sattler said. “It is hard to not see these fees as anything other than a cash grab by the Liberal government, a cash grab that will just get bigger each year.”
Sattler has launched a petition to convince the government to eliminate the fees, which were introduced August 1. It costs $5.25 to park at Komoka Provincial Park for two hours and $14.50 for a full day.
“I am concerned that these new fees will reduce the number of park visitors and negatively affect community health and well-being,” Sattler said. “I am calling upon this Liberal government to remove the fees and ensure that Komoka Provincial Park remains accessible to London residents and to all Ontarians.”
