METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Have you ever gone to a hospital in Metro Vancouver and found yourself cringing at the price of parking?

Maybe it’s time to take a page out of Ontario’s playbook.

That province is capping parking rates at hospitals, and at least one local politician is hoping changes will be considered here in BC.

Hospital rates should be the same as those outside hospital boundaries, according to Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart.

“I often talk to people in hospital settings, where they have to try to get dropped off because they’re managing on a fixed budget and they’ve got an illness in the family — and perhaps they have to make two or three visits to the hospital in a day,” he tells us.

He calls it a tax on people who are sick, as well as their loved ones.

“When my daughter was in VGH, we were constantly walking a block because it was much cheaper to park anywhere else than in the VGH parking lot. And for persons with disabilities… with mobility impairments visiting the hospital, they pretty much have to park in the hospital parking lot. Therefore, they pretty much have to pay whatever exorbitant fee is charged there. I simply want the hospital parking fee to be the same as two blocks away… If it’s a dollar an hour there, it should be a dollar an hour in the parking lot at the hospital.”

Ontario has decided to freeze rates for the next three years, starting immediately. After that, increases can’t be higher than the rate of inflation.

Beginning in October, hospitals that charge more than $10 each day have to offer passes for five, 10, and 30 days at half off.

Stewart says the moves are encouraging and he’s hopeful BC will have another look at the system here.

“The Ontario solution isn’t perfect, but it certainly does remind us all that charging for parking has to be reasonable at hospitals, and I’m glad to see a province taking it on, and I urge the province of BC to take it on, as well.”

A statement from BC’s health ministry says health authorities are responsible for setting parking rates at their facilities.

It says rates are meant to encourage cars to come and go to make sure patients always have access. It adds in general, rates are comparable to those in other cities across Canada.

Full Ministry statement:

In B.C., health authorities are responsible for setting parking rates at their facilities. Pay parking is standard in urban environments. Parking space is at a premium at health care sites and rates are intended to encourage stall rotation to ensure patients have access to parking at all times. In general, parking rates are set based on the local market, are well below rates charged in other sectors and are comparable to those in other cities across Canada.

Pay parking provides capital for maintaining, improving and expanding parking facilities that would otherwise be taken from the healthcare budget. Any surpluses from parking revenues are used to improve health care services. All health authorities have provisions in place to waive fees where they will pose a genuine financial hardship to families.

With respect to Ontario’s announcement – I understand that many of BC’s parking rates are generally less expensive than many of Ontario’s, and in most cases (if not all) we already offer long-term rates.