Parking at B.C. health sites won't be free for everyone anymore. Here's what's changing.
Nearly two years after parking fees were waived at many health-care facilities in B.C., the province is reinstating paid spots for some.
In April 2020, early in the pandemic, B.C. announced parking would be free at provincial health-care facilities. However, on Thursday, the province said that system has led to challenges.
"Maintaining across-the-board free hospital parking is making it hard for patients, staff, volunteers and visitors to find a spot, as non-hospital users are taking advantage of the situation to park for free while conducting business that’s not hospital related," Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a news release.
"These hospital parking spots must be available for those who need them most."
Even just days after the system was introduced back in 2020, health-care workers were already frustrated.
One Royal Columbian Hospital emergency room doctor was so annoyed she posted a public video to social media on April 2 of that year, pleading with people not to use the lots as park-and-rides or to visit other businesses near the hospital.
"I just arrived at work and could not even find a parking spot because of the loophole that many people are using to park for free in the hospital grounds," said Kelly Kasteel in a video shot outside of RCH in New Westminster.
"Folks, please. This was meant for hospital patients who require access to the hospital. And this was also meant for nurses and physicians to have access without having to be bothered to touch a touch pad."
The province explained the changes come into effect on March 4, but free parking will still be available for patients getting dialysis treatment or undergoing cancer treatment in acute-care programs. Parents or caregivers of children staying in the hospital overnight and volunteers will also be eligible.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.