Armed with chalk, Ottawa women take on Canada's spy agencies over parking

Two women living in Ottawa's east end say they're upset their neighbourhood's been taken over by employees of Canada's intelligenceagencies and they're fighting backwith pieces ofchalk.

Retired nurses Danielle Sullivan and Diane Dayhave been patrollingthe residential streets that border the headquarters of theCanadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), outlining parked cars and trucks with chalk and carefully marking down the time the vehiclesarrived.

They do it becausethe drivers of those vehicles, they say, tend to overstay their welcome.

"It's an ongoing issue. We've had this for three years. And it's just unbearable," said Sullivan, who lives on Leigh Crescent,near the two agencies.

3-hour limit

On most of the residential streets around CSIS and CSE headquarters, vehicles are allowed to park for a maximum of three hours.

Sullivan saiddrivers often arrive early in the morning, well before the postedrestrictions kick in, and leave their vehicles in their spots for longerthan the posted limit or they move their car just up the block before it gets ticketed.

The resulting glut of vehicles makes life difficult for residents who want to do renovations, the pair said, while also hampering snowplows, buses, and other city vehicles.

"In the wintertime, the street gets even more narrow than what it is now," said Day. "Driving down the street, it's inches between mirrors. I actually guided the plow through one day because he got stuck."

'Verbally abusive'

Using chalk, the pair outline the vehiclesand mark the precise time they arrived, so that bylaw officers know which ones have violated thethree-hour limit.

They say they know the vehicles belong to employees of the agencies as they've watched the driversenter the buildings.

"They don't like being noticed," Day said. "They get verbally abusive especially if I catch them when they'releaving and tell them, or ask them, 'Do you know the parking rules and regulations?'"

In a statement to CBC News, CSISnoted that while there are"limited number of parking spaces" at its headquarters, the agency works to ensure that employees are obeying municipal and private parking restrictions.

CSIS employees are also "encouraged to consider alternative transportation methods" like public transit, the agency said.

CSE issued a similar statement, noting that they also offer an "internal ride sharing tool" for employees looking for a ride to work.

Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney, whose ward includes the neighbourhood, says he's heard a similar message from the two agencies, but the situation doesn't seem to be improving.

More than 2,000 tickets since 2015

"They have told us that they have tried to communicate with their staff,enforcing the fact that there will be ticketing in the community, that they should take public transportation," Tierney said.

"But even being hit in the pocketbook doesn't seem to be doing anything."

In 2015 parking control officersissued1,656 parking tickets to vehicles on six streets neighbouring the agencies' headquarters, and have handed out 553 tickets so far in 2016, according to data from the city.

Despite those numbers,Sullivan and Day say they have no plans to stop their patrols unlessCSIS and CSE rein in their employees.

"We want them to step up, get their parking!" said Sullivan. "Get parking for their cars,and give us our street back."