LETTER: Langley resident calls hospital parking fees unfair tax on the sick

Dear Editor,

I am very concerned that paid parking at hospitals is slated to return to B.C. and to Langley on March 4.

I applauded when MSP premiums were eliminated in B.C. because they were a regressive tax placing the same burden on all regardless of ability to pay. When COVID-19 brought us relief from hospital parking fees, I hoped that would soon lead to a cancellation of that similarly unfair tax on sick people and on their families.

On Mothers’ Day last year my wife drove me to LMH Emergency where we spent over 12 hours, me in ER receiving excellent diagnostic care for what turned out to be blood clots in my leg and she in the waiting and worrying area. It was a scary time for us both but particularly for her, but at least she didn’t need to worry about keeping the parking meter loaded.

We hear from our government that we’ll need to build back better. I support that and suggest permanently eliminating hospital parking fees as a good start in building back a better health care system.

Peter Thomson, Walnut Grove

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• READ MORE: Public parking charges to return to B.C. hospitals on March 4

• READ MORE: Cloverdale hospital groundbreaking scheduled for summer 2023

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