Tax proposed to avoid pay parking at Campbell River hospital
Megan Thomas | CBC News | Posted: July 27, 2016 2:41 AM | Last Updated: July 27, 2016
Pay parking due to start when upgraded hospital for northern Vancouver Island opens in 2017
A property tax levy has been proposed to stave off pay parking at the new hospital in Campbell River, B.C.
Island Health plans to start charging for parking when the upgraded hospital for northern Vancouver Island opens next year.
But some say it's too much of a burden for families in the region who often travel long distances and take ferries to access healthcare.
"We just feel that it's an extra amount for people to pay, and we are looking at the least painful option so that they can have free access to our hospital," said Lois Jarvis, with Citizens for Quality Health Care.
Hospital parking in Campbell River has always been free, which is a rarity among B.C. healthcare facilities.
Island Health plans to raise about a million dollars a year through parking fees in Campbell River, which will go towards the rising costs of providing care.
The move is in keeping with the policies of health authorities around the province, Island Health said.
Consultation continues
The proposal to levy a small property tax to replace the funds collected through pay parking is before the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital District board.
It's estimated the tax would cost the average household about $15 per year.
"That would be actually slightly less than one day parking at the Royal Jubilee [hospital] in Victoria," Jarvis said.
The hospital district board is currently seeking more information on the proposal. Chair Charlie Cornfield also plans to speak with all communities served by the Campbell River hospital to determine if there is support for the idea.
"There's a certain segment that think it's a good solution, and there are others that are not so sure," Cornfield said.
"If you have one hospital district that has free parking, then what are the others going to say? Does this become a ripple effect?"
It's also not clear how the property tax collected would be transferred to Island Health. The health authority said no other districts in its region have tried to implement such a tax.