Photo: gianna_mara / Instagram
Expensive hospital pay parking is an extremely controversial topic in British Columbia, and a new petition wants to put an end to it once and for all.
And while a number of groups and individuals have petitioned for years against the practice, there have been few changes.
In November 2018, Surrey City Council unanimously approved a motion to allow two hour free parking outside of the Surrey Memorial Hospital as well as the City Hall parkade.
The city cited that the city reported that the free spaces would represent a loss of $850,000 in annual parking revenue. However, it underscored that the motion allowed people to be with their loved ones in hospital without having to bear a heavy financial burden from parking fees.
Now, a new campaign led by hospitalpayparking.ca hopes to change the current system in more parts of the lower mainland.
"Our objective is to end the obligatory pay parking trap and transition to something better such as a donation-oriented payment system," reads the site's objective.
Vancouver Is Awesome spoke to Jon Buss, founder and lead volunteer of HospitalPayParking.ca, about why he formed the group and leads the initiative.
"I decided to start the petition after I sold my business a year ago, and I wanted to find a problem that needed a solution. I have always approached business in this way, but this issue is one that has caused a great deal of pain for residents of the province," explained Buss.
"In other countries, such as Scotland and Wales, they have been successful at implementing a new system. Right now, the current rates for parking are at four times the rate of inflation - it's insane."
Buss notes that one of the the key arguments raised by the Provincial Health Services Authority is that they require the funds raised from parking. However, he believes that the $34 million could be raised in other ways, and also that it shouldn't rest on patients or their loved ones to raise it. He notes that it will come from taxpayer money, but just as everyone shares in the cost of health care, he argues that this portion should be shared, too.
The website clarifies that The Canada Health Act is meant to "to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers."
Buss added that he's spoken with a vast number of government officials about the issue, but that some of them were much more receptive than others. In fact, he stated that some people were impossible to connect with.
"I haven't been permitted to speak with Adrain Dix at all," reports Buss about the Minister of Health. "I speak with his staff that answer the phones, and they are nice, but so far I haven't been permitted to speak to him at all - I've been completely stonewalled."
Buss also remarked that he feels like he's been told off by a number of people, but that a couple of individuals have been particularly kind.
"Jim Pattison called me within three hours of receiving one email - it was amazing. I sent one email and he responded right away. He told me that I could be premier if I passed this issue," said Buss. "He's always been a mentor to me as he's been so successful in business. He is an inspiration."
The team is currently looking for volunteers with specific skills to join the campaign. More importantly, however, it wants, "every British Columbian to tell their MLA and the Health Authorities what they think about hospital pay parking."
Buss laments that so far, based on the metrics he uses to track how many people have submitted the form to their MLA, only 20 people have used the call to action. With that being said, he admits that some people may have missed part of step three, and therefore they may be unaccounted for. He has also recruited a couple of volunteers.
Learn more about the fight to end hospital pay parking here.
