Pay parking will be reinstated at B.C. hospitals on March 4, the B.C. Ministry of Health said.
"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," said Minister of Health Adrian Dix in a statement. "These hospital parking spots must be available for those who need them most."
Free parking at provincial health-care facilities will continue for patients receiving dialysis treatment or undergoing cancer treatment in acute-care programs, and for parents or caregivers of children staying in the hospital overnight.
Volunteers will still be able to park for free, and financial hardship provisions will continue to be managed on a case-by-case basis by health authorities.
Fees have been waived since April 1, 2020 as part of the effort to reduce spread of COVID-19. Some $78 million in fees have been waived since that date.
Parking rates have been frozen for more than four years, and this freeze will continue.
