Proposed parking rate of $3.50 per hour on streets around Winnipeg hospitals 'scandalous': patient

Winnipeg's proposed parking rate hike will add insult to injury for those undergoing treatments at the city's largest hospital, say some patients and their families but others are taking the proposed increase in stride.

"It's scandalous," said Joyce Funk, who is getting treatment atCancerCareManitoba, in the Health Sciences Centre campus,a couple times a month.

"You have so many costs to begin with and then it's just another thing you have to pay for."

• Transit cuts off the table thanks to $1.50/hour parking price hike

Parking around Health Sciences Centre is currently $2 an hour for four hours.

However, if the city's 2018 budget passes on Tuesday, on-street hourly parking rateswill go up by $1.50 so parking for Funk's two-hour treatment will cost her $7.

The city said on-street parking wouldincrease by a dollar an hour when it unveiled its preliminary budget last month. But on Friday, the city'sexecutive policy committee votedto tack on an extra 50 cents.

The $1.50 increase is set to add an extra $1 million to the city's coffers.

"Idon'tthink that's a terrible thing. I mean, all costs are going up, soyou just have to bear the brunt of it and live with it," said RickAngers, who pays for street parking while his wife Joan is getting treatment atCancerCare.

He said he doesn't mind paying extra if it means helping the city to balance its books.

This extra cost is an alternative to cutting service on 22 bus routes to help the city save money, which was suggested in the preliminary budget.

A planned 25 cent Winnipeg Transit fare hike is still on the table, though.

Blanche Houle, who said she and her husband areat Health Sciences Centre twice a month,said she won't be busing or driving if the parking and fare increases go through.

"I think at that point it's going to be cheaper from where we live to take a cab," saidHoule. "Then we won't have to worry about running to put money in the meter."

Parking rate protest

Parking rates near hospitals has been criticized across the country.

In 2016, cancer patient Collin Kennedy destroyed a parking meter near HSC by filling it with spray foam as a protest against charging sick people high rates for parking.

Kennedy continued his fight with a petition, sending more than 12,355 signatures to the House of Commons asking the federal government to step in. The health minister responded by saying hospitals are not in federal jurisdiction.

Health Sciences Centre offers discounted parking to anyone who is frequently at the hospitalfor treatment or visiting.

A spokesperson said people can request either a multi-use pass or a weekly pass, which can be used at the hospital's parkades on Emily Street, Tecumseh Street and William Avenue.

The discounted daily rate is $9.50 per visit, versusthe normal daily rate of $12.A weekly pass is $50 and capsat $110 for four consecutive weeks at the Emily and Tecumseh locations, and $160 at William.

"We park on the street because the lots are fairly more expensive," said Brad Shachtay, who is at HSC around three times a month.

He said he will continue to find meter parking after the hourly rate goes up.

"Might have to bite the bullet, walk a little further then," he said with a laugh.