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Pay parking to return to all B.C. hospitals, treatment centres

Click to play video: 'Pay parking returning to B.C. hospitals, health minister explains'
Pay parking returning to B.C. hospitals, health minister explains
Health Minister Adrian Dix explains why pay parking is coming back to B.C. hospitals and treatment centres and who will still be eligible for free parking. He said an app will also be available on March 4 for those who need assistance paying for parking – Jan 20, 2022

The B.C. Ministry of Health issued a statement Thursday saying pay parking will be reinstated at all B.C. health authority sites.

Parking fees have been waived at hospitals and other treatment centres since April 1, 2020, but the ministry said people are abusing the system.

Click to play video: 'New Westminster hospital staff say commuters are abusing free parking'
New Westminster hospital staff say commuters are abusing free parking

“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,” Minister of Health Adrian Dix said in a statement.

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“These hospital parking spots must be available for those who need them most.”

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The ministry said waiving hospital pay parking requirements has cost the government $78 million in lost fees.

Click to play video: 'Paid parking suspended at B.C. hospitals, more medical supplies arrive to reduce coronavirus risk'
Paid parking suspended at B.C. hospitals, more medical supplies arrive to reduce coronavirus risk

The free parking program 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, the ministry said in a release.

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.

The pay parking program will resume on March 4, 2022.

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