Paid parking coming to the Enmax Centre

Paid parking is being introduced

Sept. 1 at the Enmax Centre for people attending events there.

Lethbridge Hurricanes ticket holders will be exempt from paying the fees.

The parking fee will be $5 per vehicle. Fees can be paid at kiosks in the parking lot and arena or via the City’s parking app which is used downtown.

Starting Sept. 1, Lethbridge College students who park at the arena will also have to pay. The City says the fee structure will be similar to the one used on campus with daily, weekly, monthly and semester rates.

The City says in a statement on its website paid parking is “a fair and equitable way to generate revenue from users (both local and visitors) and to reduce the Enmax Centre’s reliance on support from Lethbridge taxpayers.”

Centre staff will be communicating with Lethbridge College, Lethbridge Soccer Association and other organizations that could be impacted.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes say the plan will have a negative impact on team revenues.

On the Hurricanes website, team governor and president Doug Paisley said a statement issued by the City which implied the WHL club has been well informed about changes and that negotiations have occurred isn’t accurate.

“This is simply not true. While our lease contains a provision for revenue sharing from any implementation of paid parking, the City has engaged in no such negotiations to date,” wrote Paisley.

“The decision to implement paid parking at the Enmax Centre will have a profound impact on the game day experience of fans and consequently the revenues of our operations. Lethbridge will become the one of the only WHL franchises with paid parking across the league with the exception of the major NHL venues of Edmonton and Calgary. Paid parking has been abandoned by other WHL facilities including Red Deer and Medicine Hat because of the negative impacts on their revenues and operations,” wrote Paisley, adding Kelowna has paid parking but also has alternatives with some free parking options.

“Paid parking is a detriment to our fans and will have negative impacts. We have welcomed the opportunity to discuss alternatives but have yet to be consulted directly.”

Paisley wrote the team hopes city council will immediately reconsider the decision and commit to working with key stakeholders such as the Hurricanes to come up with mutually beneficial solutions and appropriate business models.

The full statement can be read online at lethbridgehurricanes.com

Staff will also be working with Regulatory Services in supporting neighbourhoods and businesses which may also be impacted by the new parking system.

With the Hurricanes having around 2,100 season ticket holders, an average of about 800 people will have to pay

for parking at each game, the City says. This is about 400 vehicles. The City says enforcement won’t start until about 30 minutes after games start which will allow fans time to get to their seats and pay via a cellphone app.

The idea of parking came from a recommendation in 2019 by the City’s third-party operational review. As part of the 2021-22 operating budget, council approved the plan on Dec. 14, 2020, says a release on the City’s website.

Last August, council voted to delay implementing the parking fee until fall of this year for factors including the recovery from the pandemic.

On April 26, council voted 5-4 to accept an update presented at its meeting. Council has also directed administration to investigate a sponsorship program.

The City says the Enmax Centre is one of the few venues of its size that doesn’t charge for parking.