Hospital Employees Union supports call to keep parking free for workers, as fee reinstatement looms

With the days of free parking at hospitals during the pandemic now numbered in B.C., there’s a push to continue to give front-line workers an exemption. An online petition in support of the idea has garnered tens of thousands of signatures, and B.C.’s largest health-care union is also hoping workers will get a break.

For nearly two years now, hospital parking has been free, following a temporary change made early in the pandemic. As of March 4, that will be coming to an end.

Hospital Employees Union spokesperson Mike Old said the union hopes the government will continue to find a way to accommodate hospital workers during the pandemic.

“There’s no question it’s been a really stressful two months,” he said. “It’s been a really big relief for workers and patients and families not to have to worry about parking fees over the last couple of years.”

The Health Ministry has said maintaining free parking across the board has posed challenges, such as attracting people who aren’t actually going to the hospital, and making it harder for those who really need a spot. Old said there must be a way to manage that issue.

“There must be many ways to determine whether people who are parking in hospital parkades or lots are actually using the facility,” he said. “There’s a way to figure this out.”

An online petition calling for free parking for front line workers has collected nearly 35,000 signatures. While it has previously been hinted that the government would work with health authorities to come up with a plan, when asked by CTV News on Sunday, Health Minister Adrian Dix didn’t address the issue directly. 

“We need to manage the system appropriately and we are,” he said. “The fee will be reinstated, but they will continue to be ... frozen at 2017 levels and continue to be free for a significant portion of people who need them.”

The ministry said free parking will continue for patients receiving dialysis or cancer treatment, and for those whose children are staying in the hospital overnight. Volunteers will also be able to park for free, and financial hardship provisions will be considered on a case by case basis.

“We got rid of them for two years as a pandemic measure,” Dix said. “And we’re returning them with changes to make life better.”

Old said a lot of hospital workers switched from transit to private vehicles in an effort to reduce potential exposures during the pandemic, and added there is still a lot of “stress in the system.”

“A lot of workers right now are pulling double shifts for several days in a row,” he said. “It would be great if one of the stressors they did not have to face is finding that empty parking spot and then paying for it.”

The province said $78 million in parking fees have been waived since April 1, 2020.