Some downtown churches in London are expressing frustration over a city bylaw enforcement that restricts free street parking for funeral services. St. Paul’s Cathedral on Dundas Street has allowed families hosting funerals to park their vehicles and funeral coaches in front of the church using city-provided blue bags to cover parking meters. This practice, as explained by St. Paul’s Rector and Dean Kevin George, aimed to keep the family together and facilitate the procession to the cemetery during a sensitive time.
However, after noticing missing parking bags following a funeral service last November, it was discovered that the city now requires churches to pay for parking meter bagging. The City of London’s bylaws dictate a cost of $17 per stall plus a $50 administrative fee, totaling over $100 per funeral at St. Paul’s. George criticized this change as insensitive and burdensome to grieving families.
The City of London clarified that all reserved parking spaces are subject to fees under the bylaw, indicating that exemptions are not granted without specific authorization. While St. Paul’s Cathedral accommodates around twelve funerals annually and has limited parking space, the church is now faced with unexpected expenses due to the altered policy.
Similarly, First-St. Andrew’s United Church has experienced a shift in policy regarding parking meter bagging for funeral processions, leading to confusion and dissatisfaction among church staff and attendees. The church’s office administrator, Kathryn Skelly, described the change as potentially causing additional stress for mourners already dealing with loss.
As a result of these changes, both churches are absorbing the costs of street parking during funerals to avoid passing the financial burden onto grieving families. While they intend to comply with the law, the added expenses impact their community initiatives, such as food banks and meal programs, making it challenging to sustain their outreach efforts.