N.S. chips away at dearth of hospital parking with new dedicated lot for health-care workers

Nova Scotia Health says at least 260 additional parking spots will be made free to health-care workers at Halifax's largest hospitals later this summer.

Parking has been an ongoing issue for patients and staff of the Halifax Infirmary, Victoria General and IWK Health Centre, as some parkades have recently been torn down to accommodate renovations and expansions. 

Frustration over parking shortages spiked after the Houston government lifted parking fees at the start of May.

At peak demand times, the hospitals are short some 4,000 spaces.

Nova Scotia Health and the IWK have been scrambling to find more parking to dedicate to the hospitals.

Up to $1M to grade, repave old paid lot

To that end, Nova Scotia's Department of Public Works has awarded an untendered contract to Dexter Construction worth up to $1 million to fix up a parcel of provincially owned land on South Street, across from the IWK. The elimination of parking fees is already costing the province $19 million annually.

A spokesperson for Nova Scotia Health said the land is already a parking lot and many of the users are IWK and Nova Scotia Health staff, but it's a paid lot operated by Impark.

Dexter will grade and repave the lot before it's made available for staff to use free of charge. The health authority expects it to be ready Aug. 1.

"Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health are tirelessly working to find additional staff parking spaces to address significant supply and demand challenges," spokesperson Brendan Elliott said in an email.

Elliott said the lot is in poor condition and needs immediate upgrades to make it safe and to increase capacity. He said it's "the only viable short-term solution to address the urgent parking demand."

Elliott said the project was sole-sourced because of the "time-sensitive nature of the issue."

Free parking at health-care facilities — an election promise from the Houston government — was sharply criticized by health-care workers who initially faced steep fees if they used spaces that were reserved for patients and families.

Those charges were reversed after a few weeks of outcry, while a different fine for misuse of hospital parking was added.

Anyone caught using hospital parking who isn't a patient, visitor, volunteer or staff member could face a $500 ticket. Health Minister Michelle Thompson told reporters last week that so far, violators are receiving warnings only.

"We're looking at a very small group of individuals who are parking inappropriately in hospital parking sites," she said.

"I think you can expect that in the very near future those last little logistical issues will be worked out."