Why Are We Charging the Sick to Park?

For many Canadians, the stress of a hospital visit isn’t just about the diagnosis—it’s about the blinking red numbers on the parking meter.

Across the country, patients and their families are paying $15, $25, or even $40 a day just to access the “universal” healthcare they are promised. It raises a fundamental question: If healthcare is a right in Canada, why is the driveway to get there behind a paywall?

A Tax on the Vulnerable

Hospital parking fees aren’t just an inconvenience; they are a financial barrier to care.

  • The Chronic Burden: For a patient undergoing daily dialysis or chemotherapy, parking fees can total hundreds of dollars a month.
  • The “Visitor” Penalty: Families supporting a loved one in the ICU shouldn’t have to choose between staying by a bedside and avoiding a $30 “lost ticket” fee.

The Argument: “It’s Part of the Medical Cost”

Critics and advocates alike argue that parking should be integrated into the medical cost structure. Here’s why:

  1. Accessibility is a Pillar of the Canada Health Act: If a patient skips an appointment because they can’t afford the $20 parking fee, the system has failed the principle of “accessibility.”
  2. Hospitals Aren’t Malls: You don’t go to a hospital for leisure. You go out of necessity. Charging for parking at a hospital is fundamentally different from charging at a stadium or a shopping center.
  3. Stress Impacts Healing: Financial stress is clinically proven to slow recovery. Forcing families to worry about “plugging the meter” while discussing a surgical plan is counterproductive to health.

Where Does the Money Go?

Hospitals often defend these fees by stating the revenue goes toward:

  • Maintaining the parking structures.
  • Funding medical equipment or research.
  • Preventing commuters from using hospital lots as “free parking.”

While these are valid needs, should the burden of funding hospital equipment fall on the shoulders of the sickest people in the community?

Is Change Coming?

Some provinces have started to take note. We’ve seen movements to cap daily rates or provide the first 30 minutes for free. But a “cap” isn’t a solution—it’s a band-aid.

What do you think? Should hospital parking be free for patients and their designated caregivers? Or should it be subsidized through our provincial health insurance?