With our campaign nearing the six year mark, it looks like we might be closer to achieving the much needed reform to our hospital pay parking problem than ever before. An election call in BC means the public discourse focuses on the candidates and their leaders tackling the issues that affect the lives of most people. One of those worthy issues is the reform of hospital pay parking.
The HospitalPayParking.ca campaign is and will always be totally NON-PARTISAN. That’s because left-wingers go through the same stress and anguish as do right-wingers when they face the reality of checking in at one of our hospitals. Given the state of the polls three weeks prior to the vote, there are only two possible scenarios for political will to finally sort this out.
The NDP
Adrian Dix has been the BC Health Minister for a very long time. Too long in my opinion. Mr. Dix has often made it clear he has no plans to change the status quo. His party on the other hand; the NDP, have voted on adopting a party resolution that declared such expenses to be unfair and a financial burden to families. Although the vote passed unanimously back in 2019, the pay parking agenda remains in place.
The Conservatives
The BC Conservative Party emerged after the former Liberals (later renamed BC United) disintegrated and it is this new party that is talking about fresh ideas on the health care file. Could this be what’s needed to bring forth a better parking solution? I believe the best hope for reforming hospital pay parking rests in the hands of a Conservative government in Victoria.
To be clear and to put our worthy cause into proper context, the health care system in BC is a disaster and hospital pay parking reform ranks very low on the hierarchy of problems that badly need solutions. However, our issue is a genuine problem that genuinely needs fixing as it affects a large number of people while being supported by very few people outside those who receive direct economic gains from the practice.
On October 19, vote wisely.
