Regina General Hospital gets long-awaited upgrade: 4-storey parkade set to open

Regina General Hospital has officially opened a new parking facility aimed at addressing long-standing issues and concerns. 

For years, visitors to RGH have expressed frustration about limited parking options, particularly during peak hours. 

The long awaited project, which adds more than 1,000 parking spaces, should ease congestion around the hospital and improve access to critical health-care services.

The new, four-level structure includes 320 secure spaces for the public and an additional 685 reserved stalls for hospital staff, a major upgrade to the hospital's existing parking infrastructure. Eligible staff can begin using the parkade on Monday.

"The Regina General Hospital — it evolved over time, you know. We added more and more services, more beds and what that does is creates pressure in terms of car parking," said Derek Miller, chief operating officer of Saskatchewan Health Authority. 

The new parkade addresses the demand for on-site parking stalls, especially for the 70 per cent of staff currently on wait lists. 

"Sometimes there were safety concerns if they had to walk long distances to be able to get back to their car during night time shift change," Miller said. 

The new parkade features motion-sensor lighting as well as a duress system — an emergency response and protection system for staff — on every level.  

Features also include a stall count display at the entrances showing the number of available spaces, as well as six pay-by-use electric vehicle charging stations for staff and four more for for visitors. 

Improved safety, working conditions 

It's part of an ongoing effort by the province to improve hospital safety and working conditions.

"We're going from 315 parking spaces to now over 1,000, so I mean that's going to make it so much easier for staff who have been on a wait list for parking to now have access to a parking spot right here on the hospital site," said Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill. 

"I mean it's easy to say it's just parking, but it's important, right?" 

Fees for both staff and visitors will remain unchanged from current rates. 

The government invested $22.4 million in the new structure, with construction led by Link Developments.

"This project was delivered in a fairly short time frame and that's, you know, a great example of again of Government of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Health Authority and a private sector entity working together to deliver a really positive project for the community," Cockrill said.