Good news for bands travelling through town, the city is planning to create an overnight parking permit. Currently you can buy a permit to park on city streets for a week for $21, but there's no overnight option. I've known plenty of bands burned by getting a $30 ticket because of the 3-hour limit on street side parking, or had to move from main street to side street at crack am to stay in the free parking window (no easy feat when you left the club and finally got to sleep only hours before). It's being pitched by City Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth) for people who are too drunk to drive or staying at a friend's house. I love how this story in the Toronto Star playfully dances around a key factor in this proposal (and what may have been the impetus): leaving your car in a neighbourhood you don't live in overnight because you're fucking.

If you have a story about getting ticketed while playing a show, or know people who have, I recommend contacting Councillor Fletcher at councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca or 416-392-4060 or on Twitter @PaulaFletcher30 with your stories and support of this proposal. And hopefully they'll prorate the "overnighter" so it's a reasonable price.

It may also be worthwhile to contact the other members of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, who Councillor Fletcher is making this proposal to. The meeting is happening on Wednesday, March 23rd, so get your emails etc. in by then!

Denzil Minnan-Wong (Chair) -  councillor_minnan-wong@toronto.ca 416-397-9256 @DenzilMW

Mark Grimes -  councillor_grimes@toronto.ca 416-397-9273 @Mark_Grimes

Mike Layton -  councillor_layton@toronto.ca 416-392-4009 @m_layton

John Parker - councillor_parker@toronto.ca  416-392-0215 @johnparker26 (I think that's him, the pic and lack of bio make it hard to tell)

Gord Perks -   councillor_perks@toronto.ca 416-392-7919 @gordperks

David Shiner - councillor_shiner@toronto.ca 416-395-6413 (not on Twitter)