The new Campbell River Hospital will have pay parking when it opens in late 2017. Currently, there is no
charge for parking at the Campbell River Hospital parking lots or in the overflow parking areas. According to a
Dec. 10 letter from Joe Murphy, vice president of planning and operations support for Island Health, in reply to
North Island MLA Claire Trevena's letter of Oct. 21, the implementation of pay parking is to support the
maintenance and improvement of parking facilities and offset environmental costs. When asked to comment on
how the switch to pay parking might affect North Island residents, Port McNeill Mayor Shirley Ackland replied
that "Pay parking is just another burden on North Islanders who must travel, often losing time from work to
attend at a hospital whether it is for themselves or a family member." Ackland had hoped that Campbell River
and Courtenay councils would adopt the same stance that Mayor Lois Jackson, of Delta, has taken which is to
not allow pay parking at hospitals in her city. "One would wonder why we choose to burden those who are sick
or visiting the sick by charging for parking rather than to charge a parking fee at a shopping mall - for instance -
where those who visit are typically healthy," Ackland said.Once the pay parking plan goes into effect,
individuals will be encouraged to contact the unit social worker and/or parking services if they are unable to
purchase a parking ticket due to emergency or compassionate situations. These situations will be reviewed on
a case by case basis.