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As the Ottawa Citizen first reported, thousands of public servants in Ottawa and Gatineau are scrambling after the Department of National Defence informed them they would lose their parking spaces and announced a lottery for new spots at the National Defence headquarters on Carling Avenue.

The Department of National Defence is in the process of moving to a new campus in Ottawa’s west end that has parking for just about half of the 9,300 employees who are expected to work there. Officials have also acknowledged the site of the new headquarters is in a “relatively remote location,” is poorly served by bus routes and features few if any commercial parking options.

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To prepare for the coming parking crunch, the department has informed the 3,000 employees who have already made the move and have been working at the new campus for the past two years that their $35-a-month parking passes will expire in May and they will be required to apply for a chance to win a new spot. Priority will be given to expectant mothers, those with disabilities or limited mobility and employees who agree to carpool, also known as MOV or multi-occupancy vehicle. The remaining passes for single vehicle drivers (SOV) will be awarded at random in a lottery.