A routine trip to the mailbox turned into a blast from the past for a man who once lived in Guelph, Ontario.
Ron Klicka recently received what appeared to be a standard notice from the City of Guelph. Inside was a “final notice” demanding payment for an unpaid parking ticket. The surprise was not the amount, but the date of the offence. The ticket was issued on Dec. 7, 1987.
“I opened it up and I see a parking ticket from Guelph. I mean, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been in Guelph,” Klicka told CBC News. “And then I looked at the offence date and it said 1987.”
At the time of the violation, Klicka was living in Guelph. He parked near the city’s train station and, according to municipal records, left his vehicle in the wrong spot. Nearly four decades later, the city’s provincial offences office informed him the fine was still outstanding.
Now residing in Jasper, Ontario, near Ottawa, Klicka said he contacted the city after receiving the letter last month. Staff confirmed the ticket was valid and required payment.
“They said, ‘No, it’s legit and you owe us $24.50.’ I said ‘fine,’ so I paid it,” he said with a chuckle.
Including a $10 late fee, Klicka paid a total of $34.50 to settle the matter.
The 66-year-old said he does not recall ever seeing the original ticket. He also noted the unpaid fine never interfered with renewing his Ontario driver’s licence or licence plates over the years.
“I think I’ve had like three parking tickets since I started driving in 1982 and I’ve always paid those tickets right away — never been an issue. So my guess is downtown someone either took the ticket off the windshield or it didn’t stay or something.”
Klicka briefly moved out of province after leaving Guelph, which he believes may have delayed any collection efforts. Still, he said he has held an Ontario licence for decades without the matter resurfacing until now.
For Klicka, the decades-old parking violation is now resolved. The unexpected reminder, though, serves as a rare example of how municipal records can endure long after drivers think an issue has faded away.
