Aug 18, 2022 – For immediate release

“Robert-Falcon Ouellette’s plan to tax surface parking lots as if a four-storey building is built on them would present legal challenges and would open the City to numerous lawsuits. The City of Winnipeg Charter prohibits subjecting a property to a land value tax for something that is not on the land, and this would tie the City up in court for years.

“You cannot assess something that doesn’t exist. While I agree surface parking lots are a blight on our downtown, a simpler solution would be a straight-up parking tax, which would only require provincial approval.”