'I side with nurses and docs': Ontario Premier Doug Ford weighs in on hospital parking fees

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he doesn't "think it's fair" nurses and doctors have to pay for parking at the hospitals and health-care facilities that they work at, after CTV News Toronto highlighted the issue earlier this week.

On Monday, CTV News Toronto reported on the issue of pricy hospital parking after speaking with a Toronto woman who said she spent nearly $2,000 on parking to visit her mother at health-care facilities for 15 months.

"It's just horrendous the amount of money I’ve spent in parking since this began," said Michela, who CTV News agreed to identify by first name only.

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The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) and opposition leaders then called on the province to reduce, or eliminate, parking fees at hospitals for staff, patients and visitors.

"The average rate right now for a monthly parking pass is about $400. In the Greater Toronto Area, it's extraordinary the amount of money spent on parking by staff," Angela Preocanin, ONA's first vice-president, told CTV News Toronto. "In my own experience, I had parking that went up by 200 per cent in a year."

NDP MPP Jill Andrew rose the issue in legislature on Wednesday, pointing to how much Michela spent on parking fees to visit her mother.

"Will you choose people over your profit scheme? Properly fund our public hospitals and eliminate hospital parking fees today as a concrete solution to actually help Ontarians get by," Andrew said.

On Friday, Ford addressed the parking issue saying that while he finds it unfair, he is going to leave the matter up to hospitals.

"I don't think it's fair, but I know the CEOs would be very upset with me because that's the stream of income they use to run the hospitals, to buy equipment, and do other things," Ford said.

"Do I think it's fair that a nurse coming (to work) and they have to pay for parking? I don't think it's fair, but I'm going to leave that up to hospitals. I'm sure if you ask the hospital CEOs, they don't think it's fair, but they'll have to get some income in as well."

Ford capped off by saying he chooses to "side with the nurses and docs."

A spokesperson for Ontario's health ministry previously told CTV News Toronto that it does not play a direct role in how a hospital is managed or governed, noting that public hospitals act as independent corporations run by a board of directors.

"Hospital administrators are responsible for the day-to-day management of their hospitals, including the delivery of service and implementation of programs, protocols, and procedures adopted by the hospital board within the parameters of provincial legislation," the statement reads.

"Hospitals have resources to raise funds for their programs, medical equipment, expansion and renovation, or to use to enhance the quality of health care in their greater communities. These include activities like fundraising through their foundations, revenues from parking, or the allocation of space to non-hospital services, like food vendors or private clinics."