QUEENS PARK - MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) rose at Queens Park to continue to call on the Ford government to take action to eliminate parking fees at hospitals for front-line workers, patients, and families, as Ontarians struggle with a growing affordability crisis.
“The Ford government has refused common-sense solutions to cut costs and fees for people in Ontario – and there’s no better example than the cost of hospital parking”, said Gates. “Charging patients, families, and workers a fee just to park at a hospital is just another tax on everyday working people in this province.”
Niagara Health raised hospital parking fee rates for staff and patients last December.
“MPPs don’t have to pay to come to work at Queen’s Park – so why should a nurse or doctor have to pay to go to work to save lives?” said Gates. “The Premier has refused to take simple action to save everyday people across this province their hard-earned money.”
“No one – not a patient, not a worker, not a family member – should have to pay out of pocket to access our publicly-funded, publicly-delivered health care system. We should increase funding to our health care system and finally eliminate fees for hospital parking across Ontario – once and for all.”