Long-delayed transition met with questions about cost and parking lot conditions
On Monday, March 2, Mt.A’s long-delayed plan to introduce paid parking finally came into effect. In early December 2025, the University postponed the planned rollout from the beginning of the winter semester to early March, allowing time for changes and a feedback survey for the community. Signs appeared all over campus on March 3 telling students to buy parking passes by scanning a QR code. In an emailed statement to The Argosy, Andy Herbert, Mt.A’s manager of security and ancillary operations, said, “the implementation of paid parking at Mount Allison University is proceeding as planned. Since launch, members of the campus community have been purchasing parking permits, and while there have been some questions from students, faculty, and staff, overall the transition has been smooth.”
Mt.A students have had a wide variety of reactions to the change. One major concern is the price. “Sackville is kind of in the middle of nowhere, so if you wanna go out and do things, you need to have a vehicle,” said Hannah Giles, a first-year art history major. “It’s a little bit frustrating to have to pay just to be able to use the conveniences of Moncton or Amherst.”
Second-year biology major Isabella Patey also raised concerns about the price. “The fact that it’s $400 doesn’t make sense,” said Isabella Patey, a second-year biology major. “If they’re so worried about other people parking here, they could have made the fee like $75 or something to have a sticker.” Following the possibility of provincial budget cuts to education, she said the introduction of parking was “like a money grab, essentially.”
Others have questions about parking lot conditions. “I think it’s unfair for students to have to pay for essentially what is their driveway,” said Kira Petten, a second-year biochemistry major. “Especially seeing the conditions the ‘driveways’ are in right now, I think it’s a bit unfair to students and a bit ridiculous.” Carson Vollman, a first-year aviation and Canadian studies student, said the parking lots are “not [in] great condition,” adding “there’s a lot of potholes.” Vollman, who is from Calgary, said “coming from a town with a bigger university, paid parking is pretty normal, but I think if we are paying for parking, the only thing I’d expect is better parking lot conditions.” Of Mt.A’s six parking lots, three are unpaved, and most have potholes.
Some students have raised questions about how much the new parking rules will be enforced. “If they’re going to enforce it or not is a big thing also,” said Vollman, adding, “if they’re enforcing it, I feel like a lot of people don’t know about it.” In his statement to The Argosy, Hebert said “full enforcement will begin later in the month of March,” in order to help ease the transition.
First-year psychology student Hayley Cameron said she is “not really the biggest fan of” paid parking “because it kind of gets rid of a lot of opportunities for students to park.” Before the change, Cameron parked in a lot which has now been reserved for Mt.A faculty and staff. “I was parked in another location, and then they decided to take it away, and now it’s only to professors who don’t end up staying the night, so at night there’s no one really there.”
Students living in residence have a different track to paying for parking. According to the Mt.A website, after registering their vehicle but before paying for a permit, residence students must notify Mt.A Parking that they live in residence so they can access a “Residence Overnight Permit,” which allows them to park overnight for the same cost as the daytime-only “General Parking Permit.” Some students say this deal is not well advertised. The discount is “not even listed as an option to pay for, they just have to add it to your cart, and that’s the only way you get it, which is really weird,” said Meagan Dean, a second-year biology student. Dean said she only found out about the discount after one of her friends emailed Mt.A Parking and was told he had paid the wrong amount.
Allison Kaminsky, a first-year biopsychology student, said that “it was very welcoming not having to pay for parking” when she first arrived at Mt.A. “It was just like you’re part of this community,” she said, adding that free parking “fostered a sense of humanity.”