Parking fees pricing Saskatoon couple out of medical appointments

Seniors from Radisson, northwest of Saskatoon, are considering cancelling vital medical appointments over the high cost of parking fees at Saskatoon hospitals.

“We’re worried about right now, we just can’t afford to keep this up,” Ken Neufeld told CTV News.

Ken and Shirley Neufeld often try to park on the street now when visiting the hospital, but that’s not always possible.

Shirley is a breast cancer survivor and Ken often visits the city for medical appointments and procedures. In July and August Neufeld say they paid over $70 dollars in parking fees to come to appointments at Saskatoon hospitals.

“The recession or whatever we’re in, all prices are going up, but I think this is just a little too much for parking,” he says.

The drive in from Radisson is almost two hours return, so the price of parking is on top of the fuel expense.

Neufeld is considering missing a November appointment because it’s expected to be lengthy.

The pay-in-advance system is also part of their problem, according to the Neufelds, because they are left guessing if visits will run on time and how much money to put on the metre when they arrive. With no family in Saskatoon, and senior mobility issues, going to add time is not ideal.

“You almost have to have two people to go because if you’re just about at the head of line at emergency, ‘oh, I’m out of time,’ can you get back in or do you have to start all over again?”

Simon Enoch is the director of The Saskatchewan office of the Canadian Policy Alternative Group and says the high fees are problematic.

“Parking costs are a user fee in disguise that can act as a barrier to care, especially for low in come people,” he says.

This adds to the already stressful hospital visit for most people, according to Enoch.

“[It’s] not conducive to proper care,” said Enoch. “For people struggling with a major illness and maybe unable to work, those daily compounded charges can be a tremendous source of anxiety when you should be focused on recovery,” he said.

Places like Scotland and Wales have eliminated hospital parking fees altogether according to Enoch and it happened in Canada briefly during the pandemic.

“BC and even Saskatchewan eliminated parking fees — Saskatchewan for only a few months — during the pandemic,” he said.

Comparing Saskatchewan Health parking rates with neighbouring provinces looks like this:

The Neufeld’s meanwhile hope that bringing their concerns to the forefront starts a conversation and possible change to help them and others like them.

“We have free healthcare, I wish we had free parking.”