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Ever paid a parking fine at UBC? You could be included in this lawsuit

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ne...89f512&k=67786

Quote:

Friday » December 21 » 2007

Ever paid a parking fine at UBC? You could be included in this lawsuit

Lena Sin
The Province

Friday, December 21, 2007

If you've been nailed with a parking fine or penalty at the University of B.C., now's your chance to reap a piece of the $4 million at stake in a class-action lawsuit against the university.

And if you want no part of this legal battle, you better say so now.

According to the law, any resident of B.C. who has paid a UBC parking fine or penalty in the last 17 years is automatically included in the lawsuit.

If you want to be excluded as a class member, you must say so by August - before the trial begins in B.C. Supreme Court in September 2008.

The lawsuit was launched by a Vancouver chartered accountant who is alleging that UBC's parking regulations are illegal.

For years, students have complained about the serious consequences of not paying a parking ticket - such as being excluded from student services or having your transcript withheld.

Daniel Barbour, the representative plaintiff, was moved to file the suit after he was forced to pay $200 when his car was towed from the university in March 2004.

He was charged with assault after getting into a confrontation with a tow-truck driver, but the charge was dismissed by a judge who found the tow-truck driver was at fault. Barbour then turned his attention to UBC's parking regulations and found what he considers to be a serious flaw.

Barbour is alleging that UBC's statute - the University Act - doesn't include the language necessary to give UBC the powers to create or enforce parking fines.

Barbour's lawyer, Reidar Mogerman, says UBC has tried to assume enforcement authority through the Motor Vehicle Act and the Highway Act when it appears to have no authority to do so.

Those statutes are the same ones used by municipal governments to enforce parking fines.

"The allegation is UBC doesn't have the power to fine and penalize like a municipality. If it wanted to run a private parking system like Imperial, that's fine - but that's not what it tried to do," says Mogerman.

Private parking lots are much harder to regulate as they're not based on legal statutes, but a contractual agreement between the parker and the parking company.

Scott Macrae, UBC spokesman, says the university will vigorously defend the allegations at trial.

"We absolutely believe we have the right, power and obligation to enforce parking fines," says Macrae.

If the judge agrees with Barbour's arguments, some 100,000 people who've paid nearly $4 million in fines and towing charges since September 1990 would be eligible for a refund from the university.

- For more information on how to opt-out of the lawsuit (or opt-in for people living outside of B.C.) visit www.parking.ubc.ca

lsin@png.canwest.com

Copyright © 2007 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.

so as a person who doesnt even attend i will park illegally and tell them to fuck right off? lol :D

Great, if he/we win, I will have to pay more tuition.

nice, i never paid my tickets, i guess no refunds for me even if he wins

Quote:

Originally posted by Turbo E
so as a person who doesnt even attend i will park illegally and tell them to fuck right off? lol :D

ubc fucking deserves it

I wonder if the same applies at UVic. I got a letter a while ago telling me that a car with a license plate that used to be on my dad's old car, got a ticket at UVic while nobody in my family would have had any conceivable reason to be on campus, 2.5 years prior to the letter.

The letter threatened to basically suspend my status as a student at UVic over a $20 ticket. So I phoned in, explained I had no idea what they're talking about, not only does the plate not belong to any car of mine, it doesn't belong to any car of my family's.

After some stupid arguments on their part, I explained that there was no way in hell I was paying, and I'll be damned if they're going to suspend my account. They reasoned out that it was my dad, and told me to let him know that they'll send him to collections if he doesn't pay.

Every couple of months we get a fresh letter letting him know he owes them money.

Quote:

Originally posted by Turbo E
so as a person who doesnt even attend i will park illegally and tell them to fuck right off? lol :D

thats what most people do lol

LOL
UBC gets owned.

About fucking time.
I got a ticket for going over my parking limit for 5 mins.

Sweet i'll get some money back.

Why would you want to op-out lol!

I actually paid my tickets coz i heard you cant graduate if you don't pay or something, and I have a parking pass so they have all my student info from that

one time, when I was at the parking office to pay for my ticket, they told me that I had another ticket due 4 months ago, which I personally did not even receive it myself (I pay all my tickets)....so basically they can say I owe them 10 tickets and I can't say shit. WTF is this....

Anyway I hope UBC loses, even IF there was no reimbursement...at least make it a known fact that UBC rips ppl off illegally.

Oh and I got a ticket at 10pm at a meter in UBC one time...hahaha couldn't believe they were so hardworking...and that it wasn't free after 8pm, but after 11pm...sigh

Quote:

Originally posted by Turbo E
so as a person who doesnt even attend i will park illegally and tell them to fuck right off? lol :D

+2 lol, i go down there too often and ive never been inside a single classroom :D

I can't believe how many tickets i have gotten at the back of Angus, and i've gotten my car towed twice - i never learn my lesson, but i can't be mad, they need to ticket people imo. I really just wish there was more efficient transportation systems to UBC then the ticketing would be more justified. They charge an arm and a leg for UBC parkades.

I am hoping UBC loses, but then there may be mayhem in terms of vehicle parking. Anyways, i really think it is a technicality, and all they will have to do is put clearer signs stating the policy for illegal parking. They can run their parking lots like Imperial, etc. since it is private property - i guess the issue that the plaintiff claims is that the rules that UBC has are more so like a municipality.

Oh well, when do they think the outcome of this will happen?

Blame the residents of the provincial endowment lands.

i want my money back >(

UBC will win....stupidest thing ever... the guy is just a pompous arrogant graduate CA who thinks he can do anything.... if UBC losses it will affect more then just UBC....but SFU, UVIC and all other parking areas

UBC needs the money from parking revenue to reinvest into the campus even if it is an arm and leg to park there on a given day...but there still is the B-Lots which are decent priced at $4.50/day

SO i hope UBC WINS!!!!

if you are dumb enough to get enough tickets to get towed then u deserve to pay

i paid like a $30 ticket before. how will they give my money back?

UBC will win, its private property. They can do what they want. You didnt pay for parking, so you have to pay the fine.

Quote:

Originally posted by C5_Ryder
UBC will win, its private property. They can do what they want. You didnt pay for parking, so you have to pay the fine.

you didn't read the fucking post.

they can charge u. but they cant make it affect your student status.

i never paid the fines :P

fuckin $$ hungry UBC

lulz, all the money the department recieves gets reinvested into the university anyways. It isn't a private corporation. Win or lose it will only affect the university students and the faculties that recieve the funds.

Only way to get around this right now is to use car A's insurance to register for a parking spot while driving car B (of which the plates have never been registered to the UBC parking system) to school.

sweet money coming back into my pocket :D

not being able to get transcripts over unpaid parking tickets is fucking cold...im hoping this is the extreme case??

so whats the point of opting out?