Toronto Police Slam Increase in Attacks on Parking Attendants

In his 13 years as a parking attendant in Toronto, Steven Loder has seen his fair share of frustrated drivers while writing tickets. But perhaps the most frustrated example is the taxi driver who hit him with his car about eight years ago.

“Instead of rolling down his window or staying seated, he decided to drive his vehicle toward me and hit me,” Loder said, injuring his leg.

Loder, along with Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw and Toronto Police Association (TPA) President Jon Reid, drew attention to the violence against parking enforcement officers on Tuesday, saying police officers are increasingly being attacked while simply doing their jobs.

“This is unacceptable behavior. This has a huge impact on their personal and professional lives,” Demkiw said at a news conference.

“I know some people get frustrated trying to find a parking space in the city, but violence is never the answer.”

According to statistics from the Toronto Police Service, there were six assaults on parking enforcement officers in the city in 2021, followed by 15 in 2022.

Last year, that number jumped again to 46. According to police, there have been 27 street attacks so far this year through July 18, compared to just four in the same period last year.

Loder told CBC Toronto he’s seen a definite increase in public anger and frustration on the road in recent years.

Increasing congestion is likely a factor in the problem, he said. While long commutes are nothing new in Toronto, those problems have been exacerbated in recent years by construction on major arteries like the Gardiner Expressway, or for large-scale projects like the Ontario Line subway.

The situation has become so dire that a recent survey commissioned by the Toronto Region Board of Trade found that the majority of respondents are considering moving out of the city because of traffic congestion.

During Tuesday’s press conference, Reid also cited “citywide traffic congestion” as a problem. However, the TPA chairman said residents should realize that parking enforcement officers are doing everything they can to keep the city safe and moving.

“They don’t deserve to be yelled at, pushed or hit, let alone have to jump out of the way of a moving vehicle,” Reid said.

“They deserve to go home to their families where they can feel safe and unharmed.”

Demkiw also warned that anyone accused of assaulting a parking attendant would also face a charge of assaulting a police officer, which the court would consider the same as assaulting a uniformed police officer.

A conviction on that charge means you have a criminal record and could face a fine or jail time, he said.