The Minister of Health and Social Services Danielle McCann announced that, starting June 20th, new parking rates will apply in all hospitals in Quebec. People will be able to benefit from free parking for the first two hours of parking as well as a maximum daily rate between $ 7 and $ 10, depending on the region. This new pricing will be applicable in all public facilities of the health and social services network, including CLSCs.
In addition, the residential and long-term care centers (CHSLD) will offer free access for two family members of each person accommodated. The parking lots that are currently free for all visitors will remain free.
Also, users who must regularly attend an establishment to receive care, such as chemotherapy or dialysis treatments, will benefit from special rates. These special rates, already in effect in certain establishments, will now be applied uniformly throughout the network.
“Today, we are concretizing our electoral commitment to reduce parking rates so that users can finally benefit from more affordable rates when they need to receive health care and services. The differences were significant from one region to another and this situation had to be addressed. Parking fees should never be a barrier to receiving health care. We know that people have been rightly waiting for this news, and our government is proud to deliver on that promise” said Danielle McCann, Minister of Health and Social Services. “The cost of parking should not be a concern when you want to visit or care for an eligible relative in nursing homes. Thanks to this change, we have just removed an important financial barrier, which will help improve the maintenance of family and social ties between people staying in CHSLDs and their loved ones ” added Marguerite Blais, Minister responsible for Seniors and Caregivers
Control mechanisms will be in place by institutions to protect access to parking for patients and visitors. An amount of $ 25 million has been allocated to institutions to enable them to deploy these control measures. Investments of $ 120 million are reserved as of this fiscal year to compensate establishments for the loss of revenue resulting from the drop-in parking rates.
