Parking Fees at Nova Scotia Hospitals Waived for Staff

After weeks of complaints, staff at Nova Scotia’s biggest hospitals will now be able to park at work without facing exorbitant fees. The Halifax Infirmary and Victoria General sites have been grappling with parking issues for years, but tensions reached a boiling point when the province announced that parking would be free starting on May 1.

Employees have long been discouraged from using the hospital lots and were charged up to $14.50 per day if they did. However, with spaces in high demand and the focus on prioritizing patient parking, the message was reinforced at the beginning of the month.

Nova Scotia Health has indicated that during peak times, there is a need for an additional 4,000 parking spaces beyond what is currently available. This shortage has forced some staff members to arrive at work earlier than necessary to secure a spot, while others resorted to paying $6 per hour or $72 for a full day’s shift.

The NSGEU, the union representing many hospital workers, raised concerns about the financial burden this placed on support staff, with some individuals spending nearly half of their salaries on parking fees.

In response to the backlash, Brendan Elliott, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia Health, acknowledged that the fees were excessive and stated that the situation was not sustainable for employees. The health authority received approximately 600 emails from staff members expressing their frustrations.

In an effort to address the issue, Nova Scotia Health announced that it would provide 175 free parking spaces for staff who present their IDs to parking attendants. Additionally, the top two floors of the Summer Street parkade at the Infirmary will once again be designated for staff use, offering 100 free spaces. The remaining free spots will be located at the VG lot.

Sandra Mullen, president of the NSGEU, welcomed the decision to provide free parking spaces but emphasized that more measures are needed to fully resolve the parking challenges faced by hospital employees.

While the health authority still discourages staff from parking in visitor areas during peak hours, the previous daily cap of $14.50 for unauthorized parking will be reinstated. This move aims to strike a balance between accommodating patients and visitors while ensuring that staff members have access to adequate parking.

Looking ahead, Nova Scotia Health is committed to exploring additional parking options to accommodate the surplus of vehicles during peak times. The health authority is actively seeking out empty lots or alternative parking solutions to alleviate the strain on staff parking.

Furthermore, Nova Scotia Health is collaborating with the provincial government to enforce strict penalties for individuals who misuse the free parking program. Unauthorized parkers may face fines of up to $500 per day, although a timeline for implementing this penalty system has not been established yet.

It is important to note that these changes do not apply to the IWK Health Centre, which operates under a separate health authority.