A cancer patient has complained about hospital parking fees arguing “the fees are a violation of the Canada Health Act, which recognizes Canadians’ right to guaranteed access to health care services “without financial or other barriers.”

If you have ever said the sentence “Charities should be run more like businesses,” you are part of the reason that hospitals are charging parking fees.

What?! Allow me to explain.

A combination of rising costs and shrinking resources have meant that in recent years, there has been a huge move among the public and government to encourage charities to find new sources of income. This has included ideas about embracing new things like social enterprise, broadening fundraising, and also looking for new revenue sources.

Charities have made a real effort to look differently and deeply at how we support our work. And, so, not surprisingly, at some point hospitals started charging money for parking. In Ottawa, for example, hospitals collected over $20,000,000 in revenues in 2015. That is clearly a lot of money.

The decision by hospitals to charge for parking is a clear outcome of the move to greater revenue diversification. This move, including parking fees, is in direct response to government and public pressure. You may like it or hate it. Just please don’t be surprised by it.

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sources – CBC News (see links for full stories)