The Ontario government wants to make it less costly to park at hospitals.
Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins announced Monday that hospitals in the province that charge more than $10 a day for parking will have to offer passes that discount rates by 50%. He adds those hospitals will have to offer 5, 10, and 30 day discounted parking passes beginning this October.
Hospitals have also been told not to raise daily parking fees for the next three years, starting immediately.
Hoskins says the changes will benefit 900,000 patients and their visitors.
“Parking fees should never be a barrier for patients when they go to the hospital. With today’s announcement, we are providing relief from the high cost of parking at some hospitals in Ontario," says Hoskins. "By making parking more affordable for patients and their loved ones who visit the hospital often, we are helping to reduce the burden of parking fees and putting patients first.”
The London Health Sciences Centre, which charges a maximum of $12 a day in its parking lots, released a statement in the wake of Hoskins' announcement.
It reads,
"London Health Sciences Centre has received the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care parking fee guidelines today. We will review the new guidelines and assess their impact on our current parking practices. We will work towards ensuring the parking fee changes in the government’s announcement are implemented by October 1, 2016."
The hospital does offer parking passes with entering/leaving privileges. The cost for passes is $14 for a day, $45 for a week, and $75 for a month.
