On December 5th and 6th, members of the community can pay their parking tickets with a toy instead of cash during the 2019 Toys for Tickets program.
That Thursday and Friday, parking tickets can be paid for with a toy between 8:30am to 4:30pm at City Hall, 216 Ontario Street, or at 1211 John Counter Blvd. Note that while tickets can also be paid for by cash or credit at City Hall, the John Counter Blvd location only accepts toy payments.
Any parking ticket received between November 1 and December 6 – but not including tickets issued for unauthorized parking in an accessible parking space – can be paid for with a new unwrapped toy of a value equal to or greater than the amount of the ticket. A purchase receipt must be included with the toy.
“Toys for Tickets turns parking tickets into an opportunity to put a smile on a child’s face,” said Brad Frink, Supervisor, Parking Enforcement. “If your ticket is eligible, please consider paying with a toy.” Brochures on the program have been handed out with tickets since early November, so he hopes even more people will choose to pay with toys this year.
Gifts the City recommends using for payment include: games, cars, dolls and stuffed toys. Toys requiring batteries and toys which promote violence will not be accepted.
Last year, the Toys for Tickets program received 370 toys for the local toy drive in lieu of parking fines. The program has collected more than 3,400 toys for Kingston children since 2005.