While Premier Doug Ford might think costly parking fees at hospitals are unfair, Southlake Regional Health Centre maintains they are an important funding resource.
The premier recently criticized high parking fees at hospitals during a news conference, but added he would leave that issue with hospital CEOs.
Ford was asked to comment on a CTV News story about a Toronto woman who said she spent more than $2,000 on parking fees at health facilities while visiting a loved one over 15 months.
Southlake is no exception when it comes to paid parking. Asked to respond to Ford's comment, a spokesperson said the parking fees are all invested back into the hospital.
The fees “support urgently needed new capital investments, such as ongoing renovations to the emergency department and more, to help our dedicated team provide leading-edge care close to home,” according to a statement.
The hospital charges $5 for each half hour of parking, up to a maximum of $19.25 per day. It also has multi-day passes available, at $48 for five days, $96.25 for 10 days, and $150 for 30 days, with those passes not expiring for a year after purchase.
Ford told reporters that requiring visitors, as well as nurses, to pay for parking is not fair, but he understands why it is happening.
“I don’t think it’s fair, but I know the CEOs would be very upset with me because that’s a stream of income they use to run the hospitals,” Ford said. “I’m going to leave it up to the hospitals.”
After six years without a rate change, Southlake increased its parking fees by 15 to 20 per cent in October 2023.
Southlake’s audited financial statements do not specifically list how much parking revenue it receives as a separate line item. The hospital received about $504,440 million in provincial revenue in 2023/24, along with $27.7 million in “preferred accommodation and other” revenue.
The hospital said parking revenue was about $4 million last year.
The cost of parking at Southlake has notably contributed to parking challenges in the surrounding residential neighbourhoods, with drivers illegally parking on the streets to avoid paying at the hospital lots and at other private lots. The Lundy’s Lane area has become a hotbed of infractions for the town’s bylaw department, second only to Main Street.
In 2016 when a parking study was underway on the issue, Councillor Tom Vegh said the cost of hospital parking was a "gouge."
“It’s obvious the reason why we have so much of this problem. The hospital parking, quite frankly, everyone’s complained about it, really does gouge people. It is a significant fundraiser for the hospital but it is a significant gouge to a vulnerable group,” Vegh said at the time. “That’s why people are avoiding using (Southlake’s parking) and using other spots. They’re just being gouged and they know it.”
He added that if the hospital reducing parking costs, it would likely eliminate the neighbourhood parking problems.
“Until that problem is dealt with, I feel this problem will continue,” Vegh said.
Vegh said he stands by those comments today, though added the town has taken measures to discourage hospital visitors from street parking with no parking zones, installing bollards and more aggressive bylaw enforcement.
"With that being said, the Number 1 culprit remains the cost of hospital parking," Vegh said.
Southlake does charge more for daily parking than the other York Region hospitals. Mackenzie Health charges $4.75 per half hour with a daily maximum of $17.50 at its hospitals in Richmond Hill and Vaughan. Markham-Stouffville Hospital charges $4 per hour to a daily maximum of $18.75.
“Southlake strives to keep parking rates in line with peer hospitals within our area while ensuring we’re able to upgrade our aging infrastructure and care for our growing communities,” Southlake said.
