Vaccination sites operating along Centre Street will have a designated parking space for patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. (Elliott Knopp/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Elliott Knopp

Vaccination Parking

Meadow Lake COVID-19 vaccination sites granted designated parking spaces

Mar 24, 2021 | 5:45 PM

Meadow Lake City Council has agreed to grant three pharmacies in the downtown area with a designated parking space for vaccination patients.

Each designated spot will include a 20-minute time limit and will remain under the new temporary conditions until December 31, 2021 or until the vaccination process is completed, whichever comes first. Each individual vaccination site will be responsible for choosing the spot and posting the signage.

In a letter to council, Geoffrey Barton, owner of The Medicine Shoppe, filed the request for the designated parking space because he believes having a readily available space will help the vaccination process operate more smoothly.

“The efficiency this vaccination program requires means we will need to file patients in and out in an orderly manner. Having one ‘express’ parking spot will help with this.”

City manager Diana Burton stated the decision presented council with an opportunity to further support these sites as they take on the responsibility of safely supplying the vaccine to residents.

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“This is a way we felt that we could assist with the mass vaccination efforts,” Burton said. “We would consider that those first three blocks of Centre Street where there is angle parking and restrictions on parking. We would allow them to take one of those angled parking spots and designate it as a 20-minute time limit for the vaccine patients.”

Madill, Co-op and The Medicine Shoppe have all been designated as the three vaccination sites that will receive the parking exception. While they will be choosing their space and posting the signage, enforcing the rule poses as a potential issue. Currently, there doesn’t seem to be any local legislation to deter residents from ignoring the request, but Burton said council plans to look into what additional measures could be taken.

“We can gives warnings, and we are in the process of reviewing our traffic bylaws and there very well could be an amendment that comes forward. We will look at enforcing it, we will not necessarily look at ticketing people, but using education. We hope that the members of the public will see this as a way for us to assist with the vaccination effort and respect the signs.”

Information regarding vaccinations in Meadow Lake will be released to the public as details are finalized.

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Elliott.Knopp@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp