Hospital parking fees a 'big issue' for northern Ontario residents
The Ontario government is trying to make hospital visits more affordable — but will that make a difference in Sudbury?
Health Minister Eric Hoskins said Monday that parking rates at hospitals in the province will be frozen for the next three years.
Hospitals that charge more than $10 a day must offer discounts for longer-term users. In Sudbury, the hospital charges $6 per exit — a cost Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas says is still steep.
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"Too many people in Sudbury have told us that this is a barrier to care," she said.
"They don't go to their physiotherapy appointment because they cannot afford to pay $6 every time. They do not go to the hospital to visit whoever's in the hospital because they can't afford the $6 every time they come out of the gate."
While parking fees may be less in northern Ontario communities, Gelinas said "it is still a big issue for northern and rural areas."
Parking fees generate about $100 million annually for the province's hospitals.
At Health Sciences North in Sudbury, gross revenues from parking were approximately $3.2 million last year, according to hospital spokesperson Dan Lessard. He said that money is used to pay for the construction, upkeep and maintenance of parking lots and help fund health care services.