Hospital parking fee opponent vows to continue fight after feds dismiss petition

Collin Kennedy says the fight against his cancer and hospital parking fees will continue after a disappointing response to his Canada-wide petition to push for the federal government to step in.

Last July, Kennedy initiated the petition, which was sponsored by Winnipeg Centre MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette. On Dec. 5, the petition was tabled in the House of Commons in Ottawa with more than 12,355 signatures.

The response from Health Minister Jane Philpott was released on Monday saying hospitals are not in the federal jurisdiction.

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"In Canada, hospitals are under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, including the building operations and management of hospitals and the delivery of insured hospital services," the response said. "While some hospitals in Canada have decided to provide free parking to patients and visitors, they do so at their discretion, since this is not a requirement of the Canada Health Act."

Kennedy, 48, is currently undergoing treatments for multiple myeloma, a form of leukemia. He made headlines last May when he protested over parking fees at the Cancer Care Manitoba facilities by filling parking meters with spray foam in an attempt to draw public attention to how much they cost.

He said since his illness began 17 years ago, he has spent an estimated $16,600 on hospital parking. Now that his cancer has taken a radical turn for the worse, Kennedy said he is back to spending $200 each week on parking while he gets treatment.

Kennedy had decided to move forward with the petition because the federal health act is meant to facilitate reasonable access to medically necessary hospital services based on medical need and not the ability to pay. That's what the health minister's response is missing, Kennedy said on Monday.

"They tried todehumanizethe situation and turn this into a purely financial angle of looking at it from an insurable point of view versus a how do we allow or make sure that people can get access to this facility," he said.

"They mention at the beginning a dedication to health care and then in the very next statement close off saying 'but we are not responsible for making sure you have access to it.'"

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At least when it comes to his health,Kennedy is a bit more optimistic about the future.

"I was given the minimum of three weeks and that was four weeks ago, so I'm already breaking that milestone. The next milestone is three to four months and then four to six," he said.

The parking meter battle will continue as long as he is around to fight it, he added.

Ouellette said he will continue to support Kennedy because parking fees at hospitals aren't just a Winnipeg problem.

"I also think it should be something that should be looked at in the long term. I don't think this is an issue that's going to go away," he said.

The next step will be advocating with the provincial and territorial governments, Ouellette said.