CENTRE WELLINGTON – The Township of Centre Wellington is providing more information about its decision to end its relationship with former third-party parking enforcement and paid parking provider Alpha Parking Solutions.
The Township says Council received a letter directly from Alpha on August 5th, which is now circulating publicly. The information in the letter relates to issues that were part of a dispute between the two sides.
The Township says its agreement with Alpha was ultimately terminated.
In a news release Monday, the Township says the decision was made to protect “the continuity, integrity and long-term viability of services for Centre Wellington residents and businesses.”
Alpha’s letter reportedly attributed a malware incident to an unknown employee at another municipality, who allegedly uploaded a file containing malware.
The Township says, “As part of its review of the incident, Township staff assessed the security information and assurances provided by the service provider. Staff were not satisfied that the provider’s security controls and proposed measures provided sufficient confidence that Township information and services would be adequately protected going forward.”
The Township also says it understands residents have questions about why more information was not released sooner.
“While discussing matters with the service provider, the Township had to be careful not to compromise its position, increase risk, or create unnecessary costs for taxpayers,” the Township said in a news release.
The Township says it remains committed to transparency while also protecting confidential information, legal obligations, and the public interest.
“Now that additional information is circulating publicly, the Township is able to provide further context regarding the concerns that led to the termination of its relationship with Alpha,” the township said.
The Township says staff is continuing work to transition parking enforcement to a Township-delivered model, including developing procedures, hiring and training staff, and purchasing the necessary equipment.
This all comes after, on June 11 this year, Centre Wellington suspended all paid parking enforcement due to a “technical issue” with the system, though local residents were reporting the QR code on the parking enforcement signs would redirect them to websites containing spam, including adult content.
Despite the reported issues, the Township said the integrity of their internal networks was not compromised.
The Grand at 101 has attempted to contact Alpha Parking Solutions for comment. However, a search for the company online did not identify any publicly available contact information or an online presence.
