Toronto woman spends nearly $2K on parking to visit mom in health-care facilities for 15 months

A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn’t have had to pay.

A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn’t have had to pay.

"It's just horrendous the amount of money I’ve spent in parking since this began," said Michela. CTV News agreed to identify her by first name only.

Michela said her mother had to be hospitalized about 15 months ago and was later moved into West Park Healthcare Centre, a long-term care facility located on Emmett Avenue, west of Jane Street.

At times, Michela said she would visit her mother nearly every day, which cost her nearly $2,000 in parking fees.

"It was $1,832 over 15 months. That is a lot of money that could have gone to so many other things," said Michela. 

A spokesperson for Ontario's health ministry told CTV News Toronto that it does not play a direct role in how a hospital is managed or governed, noting that public hospitals act as independent corporations run by a board of directors.

"Hospital administrators are responsible for the day-to-day management of their hospitals, including the delivery of services and implementation of programs, protocols, and procedures adopted by the hospital board, within the parameters of provincial legislation," the statement reads.