Halifax hospitals face backlash from staff over parking woes

Carolyn Ray · CBC News

· Posted: May 02, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Two unions representing workers astatine Halifax infirmary sites accidental parking problems for employees are truthful acute that it volition go a staffing retention contented if solutions aren't recovered soon.

The Houston authorities made bully connected an predetermination run committedness Thursday by implementing a new free parking programme astatine health-care sites successful Nova Scotia. But aggravated feedback from Halifax unit had Nova Scotia Health and the IWK asking for patience aft workers complained the caller strategy has made it intolerable for them to find parking spots unless they get importantly earlier for their shifts.

"It's decidedly highly frustrating for our members and perfectly our members are going to look for different options if they continually look this concern each day," said Hugh Gillis, archetypal vice-president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.

"We admit the announcement is simply a measurement successful the close direction, but it's leaving immoderate of our health-care workers astatine our busiest sites behind."

At contented are the engaged blocks astir the Halifax Infirmary, Victoria General Hospital and IWK Health Centre, which are wrong walking region of the city's downtown. Both the Infirmary and IWK tore down parking garages successful the past fewer years to accommodate large redevelopment projects, starring to a captious shortage of spaces.

At the Victoria General site, the wellness authorization started a valet programme that has visitors manus implicit their keys to parking attendants who double-park vehicles to maximize abstraction successful the high-demand lot.

For months now, unit astatine the hospitals person been encouraged to parkland astatine designated tons off-site and instrumentality shuttles to work. But that has raised safety concerns, with employees complaining astir having to instrumentality to their vehicles successful poorly lit areas aft their shifts end.

Nova Scotia Health says imperishable lighting upgrades are successful the works.

Amid these frustrations, Premier Tim Houston announced the state was pursuing done with its pledge to offer free parking astatine each hospitals that would payment patients, visitors and staff.

"Our health-care professionals enactment hard for sure. Whatever the concern is today, it volition beryllium the aforesaid tomorrow," Houston said Wednesday erstwhile the program was announced. "We volition proceed to look for ways to enactment staff. We respect the enactment they bash and effort to marque definite they person a bully moving environment."

But 1 caregiver astatine the Infirmary who wrote to CBC News called the premier's pledge a "bold and outrageous lie," saying that moving conditions are present importantly worse for staff, who showed up aboriginal for their shifts connected Thursday lone to find each the unit tons afloat by 6:30 a.m. 

"If the state wants to summation staffing successful Halifax, parking is simply a HUGE consideration," she wrote.

Other employees who contacted CBC said they were near circling for blocks connected Thursday aft discovering the carpool spots successful the Infirmary parkade are nary longer disposable for staff. 

They were told if they parkland determination now, they'll wage $6 an hour, oregon $72 for their 12-hour shifts.

Nova Scotia Health says it opted to unfastened up the carpooling spots to the nationalist due to the fact that conscionable 25 of the 100 spots were being utilized regular connected average.

Meanwhile, a surgeon astatine the VG said physicians were near scrambling connected Thursday. About 350 doctors person passes to parkland anyplace successful the wellness authority's network, but some couldn't find places erstwhile they were competing with other patients and visitors connected Thursday.

Janet Hazelton, president of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, which represents nurses astatine the IWK, said parking has been a bony of contention for years. She said she is aware of 1 caregiver who precocious near her occupation due to the fact that of it, and warns much could follow if the state doesn't hole things soon.

She sees it arsenic a superior information contented erstwhile unit person to locomotion blocks distant to get to their vehicles.

"If they are acrophobic astir their safety, they volition instrumentality action. And they can," she said of the anticipation of immoderate quitting.

Email for complaints

The wellness authorization has received truthful galore complaints that it has present acceptable up an email code specifically for the parking issue. It's asking unit to nonstop their ideas for solutions.

"We're going to research everything that makes consciousness successful an effort to find that balance," said Brendan Elliott, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia Health.

"We're listening to each azygous interest and trying to code the concerns arsenic they travel up, truthful I conscionable petition patience from our unit arsenic we enactment done each of this. Definitely we've heard what you've heard. But we're dealing with a proviso and request issue."

The wellness authorization has an inducement for employees to instrumentality nationalist transit, offering a monthly walk for $25, and says astir 1,300 employees person opted into the program.

The IWK is besides grappling with complaints from staff.

"IWK Health recognizes that the existent parking concern isn't perfect for each staff," it said successful a statement. "The existent parking program is meant to beryllium impermanent arsenic the IWK continues to enactment connected much imperishable parking solutions."

The Health Department said successful a connection that the parking programme volition proceed to beryllium fine-tuned.

"It is important to enactment that portion escaped on-site parking is for patients, visitors and staff, the programme does not warrant anyone a parking spot," it said.