After making a return visit to the patient parking lot to plug the meter with coins, Trish Burtenshaw was all in favour of making UHNBC a free-parking zone.
The way Burtenshaw sees it, what's good for Scotland and Wales, which have abolished parking fees, is perfect medicine for Canadian hospitals and their visitors.
"I've spent $15 so far on parking in two days and my father-in-law will be here for at least another seven to 10 days," said Burtenshaw. "Between my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law and myself, there's been a lot of money put in that container."
Burtenshaw said she missed two bedside appointments with her father-in-law's doctor while she was outside feeding the parking meter.
"At a hospital, it's not like people have an option to be here," she said. "There are a lot of low-income families and this is expensive. It is an essential service and I don't think they should be paying for it."
The Canadian Medical Association this week said hospital parking fees are user fees that form a barrier to health care delivery. It also suggests the fees contravene the policy objectives of the Canada Health Act and could become the subject of a legal challenge.
"For patients it should be free, they don't need one more headache, and they're here for a reason because their health is not well," said Joanne Lavallee, a hospital patient porter who pays $30 per month to park at UHNBC.
"It's very inconvenient and a lot of times it's full, so you're paying for a service you can't even use," said visitor Kyle Amonson.
The lack of parking spaces for a busy hospital leads to congestion and Peter Norman agrees with charging fees to discourage people from occupying those spots all day.
"I have a handicapped parking pass - if I can find a spot," said Norman. "They do have handicapped spots but they're full. It's so crowded in here and if they have to feed a meter maybe they don't stay as long. Parking is a problem here."
There are 165 parking spaces at the southeast main lot at UHNBC, 48 stalls at the Northern Interior Heath Unit across the street, a 10-stall public space near the detoxification unit, and 12 spaces near the emergency ward. There are also several two-hour free parking spaces available along adjacent Edmonton Street. Fees apply only to the UHNBC main lot and the Health Unit.
"Part of the reason is we are limited for parking space - there is high-demand there so that insures people aren't parking and leaving their vehicles there all day," said Steve Raper, director of communications for Northern Health.
"All the fees really go to maintaining the parking lot because we do have snow removal costs, maintenance costs and lighting costs. The fees generate a little more than $300,000 and our costs are about the same. We feel 50 cents an hour is reasonable and it allows us to pay for that cost without negatively affecting our acute care and patient services budget."
If you overstay your welcome, the parking tickets issued by Impark carry a $33.60 penalty, which will be reduced to $22.40 if payment is received within three days.
"They really do ticket, I've gotten one," said Ellen Smith, who has been using the UHNBC lot twice a week for a month while she has physiotherapy on her knee. "I had to come for my pre-op and couldn't find a spot and had to park across the street and that's where I got my ticket. I'm all in favour of them getting rid of the fees."
