Disability group concerned over fraudulant renewals

The PEI Council of People with Disabilities is concerned about the number of people trying to renew disability parking permits that don't belong to them.

It is currently in the process of renewing parking permits across P.E.I., saidMarcia Carroll, the council's executive director.She said staff have to beextra vigilant to monitor for people who are trying to renew permits that don't belong to them andthey may notneed.

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The council renews close to 7,500permits a year and it catches people trying to renew fraudulent permitsup to twice a month,Carroll said.

"The most pervasive way that we see it happening is people coming in and they'rerenewing their dead relatives' permits," she added.

Permits are there for those who need them

Staff at the council will check obituaries and also flagpeople within their own database if they suspect someone is trying to renew a permit that is not theirs, she added.

"We had somebody come in today with a stolen permit," she said.

"If it's a man who's trying to renew a woman's permit and there's a big age discrepancy, you know there's certain ways we can check on things."

In order to obtain a permit correctly, people needto go through their doctor to have a medical certificate filled out and verified. Then they can apply for the permit at one of the council's three locations on the Island.

"From a non-profit agency, that's not what we are trained to do and not what we want to do, but you know, we have to stop people from taking advantage of a program that is designed to allow people with disabilities all kinds of disabilities the spots are there so they can move freely through their community,"Carroll said.

'Not a spur of the moment decision'

The council saidthere aren't any official rules when it comes to penalizing people for using permits that don't belong to them.

It takes on the responsibility of investigating misused permits, which Carroll saidtakes up a lot of time and resources.

When the councildoes catch someone trying to renew a permit that isn't theirs, ittakes itaway and tells them to see a doctor to get one in the correct manner,Carroll said.

It's alwaysvery disconcerting when this situation happens, Carroll added.

"It's not a spur of the moment decision to park in a spot because you're in a rush.You're actively pursuing to use a permit that you're not entitled to use," she added.

Not likely to add information to permits

It can also bechallenging for police officers and parking enforcementto know if someone is using a permit that isn't theirs, Carroll explained.

There areno names or pictures attached to tags, only a registered number that can be cross-referencedin the council's database.

Adding these elements to the permitswould beexpensive, Carroll said, andwould increase the price of a permit.

Carroll said that the council willcontinue to be diligent and closely monitor its permit system.

If you think a person is misusinga permit, Carroll advised,don't confront them. Instead,she said, call thePEI Council of People with Disabilities and report the number on the permit.

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