summer events put strain on already tight halifax hospital parking
4 minute read
the provincial government removed parking fees from hospitals and health-care facilities, like this parking lot at the victoria general site, but nova scotia health acknowledged finding parking has been a challenge for its patients and visitors.
ryan taplin
/
the chronicle herald
concerns are growing that concerts and festivals in halifax are putting more strain on the already limited parking at the qeii health sciences centre.
the issue came up this week when a reddit post alleged that attendees of the great outdoors comedy festival were using the qeii parking garage while people using the hospital struggled to find spaces.
in a statement, nova scotia health said it is aware that patients and visitors had concerns around how parking availability is affected by large events.
“nova scotia health recognizes that parking can be challenging at times, particularly when there are large events taking place nearby,” said the statement.
“our priority is to ensure patients and visitors have access to parking when they are coming to the hospital for care.”
it added that before the weekend event, hospital employees were informed that parking at the garrison grounds would be unavailable so they were encouraged to make other plans.
during event times, the health authority said, there was limited staff coverage to monitor parking garages to determine if vehicles belonged to someone associated with the hospital or the festival. they did not say if any vehicles were found to belong to festival goers or if any tickets were issued.
making a problem worse
for patients like shirley tillotson, this is just another example of the struggle to find parking at the hospital.
tillotson said she thought it had gotten worse since parking became free in 2025, comparing it to a few years ago when she was at the victoria general site at the qeii almost daily for radiation treatment.
“it was always sort of reliable,” she said. “i was going every day for radiation at that site and could always park there. “
the provincial government removed parking fees from hospitals and health-care facilities, like this parking lot at the victoria general site, but nova scotia health acknowledged finding parking has been a challenge for its patients and visitors.
ryan taplin
/
the chronicle herald
tillotson still has appointments at the vg site every three months and every six at the halifax infirmary. she made the choice to stop trying to park at the site or in the garage after repeated attempts to find a space to no avail, opting to find street parking that has been consistent.
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“there were a couple of times when i drove around in that parking lot and couldn’t find anything and left without having found a spot,” she said. “you only do that once or twice before you start thinking, ‘ok,i shouldn’t plan to park there.'”
added time
in addition to avoiding the parking garage altogether, tillotson said, she will leave as much as an hour before appointments despite only living about 15 minutes away.
she recalled an especially stressful parking experience about about a year and a half ago in the qeii parking garage when she didn’t have extra time. upon arrival for a two-part treatment, she found that the lower levels were full and confusing signs on the upper levels made it unclear where she could park without trouble until she was helped by an attendant.
“i was late for the appointment. i was bewildered. i was stressed.”
tillotson is not alone in planning more time around appointments for parking. bedford resident heather clarke said that when travelling to halifax for an early appointment she will leave home around two hours early to secure a decent spot.
“if i have an appointment at eight o’clock in the morning, i’m up at five o’clock in the morning, i’m out the door by six,” clarke said.
like tillotson, clarke has found street parking nearby as a consistent alternative. however, with how limited parking is depending on the time of day, clarke said her medical team advised her to take the bus instead of drive.
alternatives not one size fits all
both clarke and tillotson said that while they have been able to find alternatives like taking transit and cabs or parking further away, that is not realistic for all patients.
clarke said that during her breast cancer treatment she would park on a side street and walk to appointments, adding that patients who are too unwell may not have that option.
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“i just can’t even imagine how people are dealing with it,” she said.
tillotson said that because she is retired and able to walk, she often avoids the hospital garage spots, leaving them patients who need them more.
“how would you get there if you didn’t have someone to drive you, or money for a cab?” she said. “you’d be out of luck.”
impact
nova scotia health said it will continue monitoring parking demand and look at ways to help patients when demand is increased by events nearby.
when it comes to event attendees using the lots, tillotson said they may not realize who they are affecting for the sake of convenience.
“you may not be a bad person but you need to understand that you’re cutting in line,” she said. “you were taking the place of someone that was ill.”
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