With less than a month to go until pay parking returns to BC hospitals, it seems thousands are opposed and voicing their concerns.
A petition on Change.org—Petition to Stop The BC Ministry of Health from charging Health Care Workers for parking—is gaining traction with over 21,500 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.
It was back in January when the BC government announced that pay to park would be returning to health authority sites, effective March 4th.
Initially scrapped at the onset of the pandemic, the government says over $78 million in parking fees have been waived since April 1st, 2020.
But Health Minister Adrian Dix finds non-hospital users are “taking advantage of the situation,” parking for free “while conducting business that’s not hospital-related.”
And while BC officials say the move would ensure parking spots are available for patients, staff, volunteers and visitors, petition organizers argue that staff should be able to park for free.
The petition, created earlier this week by user BC Nurse, is addressed to Dix, Premier John Horgan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Instead of charging healthcare workers, who do not have the option of working from home during the pandemic, why not provide a free parking pass for them to display in their car,” the petition suggests.
“Not all of the healthcare facilities can be experiencing this problem because many have a parkade with fob access,” organizers added.
SEE ALSO: Pay parking to be reinstated at BC hospitals in March
