Adrian Burns, NAC board chair, seen parking in disabled spot
An Ottawa woman is speaking out after she watched Adrian Burns, the chair of the National Arts Centre's board of trustees, park in a disabled parking spot for more than a week.
Vanessa Desjardins works downtown and parks in the National Arts Centre's large parking garage during the week.
The garage has several sets of disabled parking spots, some of which can be used by everyone during daytime hours and some of which are always for disabled people.
Desjardins said that earlier in May, she saw a car without a disabled permit park in a disabled parking spot for a week. She said it upset her because her husband is paraplegic and that she eventually decided to confront the driver.
The driver turned out to be Burns, chair of the NAC's board of trustees.
'Extremely disappointed,' woman says
"It was every day and it was her taking out her high heels and marching into the NAC with no problem at all, so finally I had to say something," Desjardins said.
When Desjardins confronted her, Burns told her she was chair of the board of trustees and had the right to park there, Desjardins said.
"I was extremely disappointed to hear that and I explained ... why parking spots like this are made available. My husband is in a wheelchair and I understand why he needs these spots and why so many other people need these disabled parking spots for the ease of their own commute and mobility," Desjardins said.
On Friday, CBC News found Burns's car parked in the NAC garage in a different disabled spot, one which is open to everyone during daytime hours.
Confusion resolved, NAC says
An NAC spokesperson said by phone Friday that on the day Desjardins confronted her, Burns was coming into the building for a quick meeting.
There was confusion about the designation of the disabled parking spot, the spokesperson said, adding that it has been sorted out and won't happen again.
Desjardins said she isn't satisfied with that response.
She emailed the National Arts Centre's CEO to register an official complaint and make the point that the NAC's leadership should set a good example, she said.
The NAC refused CBC's request for an interview with Burns.
