'Mean spirited': Sask. criticized for making cancer patients pay hospital parking fees
The provincial government is facing harsh criticism after a decision to revoke free parking for cancer patients at some hospitals in Saskatchewan.
Patients receiving chemotherapy used to receive free parking, but now parking fees apply to all.
The NDP opposition believe the wrong decision was made.
“Mr. Speaker, if this isn’t a government that has lost touch with the needs of Saskatchewan people, I don’t know what is,” NDP MLA Jared Clarke said.
Concerns about the new parking fees were first raised by long time Prince Albert city councillor Dennis Ogridnick, who is receiving chemotherapy at Victoria Hospital in the city. He posted on social media calling the decision another financial burden or people.
“It’s another financial burden for some, adding stress to an already stressful situation.”
Saskatchewan’s health minister said the decision was made for consistency.
“Different regions, different facilities, different communities had different policies when it came to parking and this was a decision made by the SHA to align those policies,” Health Minister Everett Hindley said.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says the fees were implemented after, “an internal audit uncovered misuse of this privilege.”
Former cancer patient advocate Donna Pasiechnik said the decision is nothing more than a mean spirited move.
“To nickel and dime cancer patients who are feeling stressed and in pain and financially strapped is mean spirited and petty and surely they is a solution to the parking issues at hospitals,” she said.
The SHA is considering some support for cancer patients who had free parking privileges taken away but that likely won’t apply to any others in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6888246.1715794666!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot multiple times in attempted assassination
Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'crypto king' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island, officials said.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION Your attention span is shrinking, studies say. Here's how to stay focused: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.