Opposition health critic upset with inaction on QEH parking fees

P.E.I.'s Opposition health critic says he's disappointed the MacLauchlan government hasn't met the deadline to respond to an Opposition motion calling for the elimination of parking fees at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.

• Queen Elizabeth Hospital parking fees questioned in legislature

James Aylward claims all MLAs, including the premier, agreed to aFeb.1deadline for thegovernment to respond to the motion.

Aylward said the Opposition is still waiting for an answer, while parking fees at the hospital continue to affectIslanders every day, something he experiencedwhen a family member was recently hospitalized.

Aylward said he was stopped several timesby people upset about the fees while coming and going from the hospital.

"One of the reasons that I think they are most upset about the parking fees is they understand that their tax dollars paid for the hospital to be built, their tax dollars are being used to maintain and run the health system here on P.E.I., and they just feel that having to pay for parking at the hospital is just yet another tax,"Aylward said.

He said the parking fees can cause a financial hardship for some families.

Aylward said the Opposition has suggested doubling the current 30minutes of nofee parking to a full hour while continuing to push for the full elimination of the fees.

P.E.I. health officials say parking fees at the hospitalcontinue to be under reviewasthe Department of Health and Wellness worksthrough its budget process.

Doug Currie, the former health minister, said in November the fees bring in approximately $375,000 per year in revenue.

The QEH is the only hospital in the province that has parking fees. They were put in place in 1993.