Dear editor,
As a condition of funding, the Christy Clark Liberals coerced VIHA into adopting a Public Private Partnership (P3) model to design, build and operate the two new North Island hospitals.
The result is that Tandem Health has guaranteed payments for 30 years, which includes maintaining the parking facilities. Another contractor will be paid a set fee to empty the meters and enforce the paid parking. If there is anything left above these established payments, the parking revenue will go to the hospital.
We’re already paying for these hospitals through our provincial and municipal taxes (40 per cent), yet neither the public nor municipal councils had any input regarding the imposed P3 model. Therefore, if the parking revenue is less than these pre-determined contracts, our tax dollars will have to fund the difference, which will have to come from hospital administration/patient care dollars.
The suggestion that we increase municipal taxes or impose a levy to subsidize parking is folly – we’ve already paid and will continue to pay for parking for 30 years. This is a classic case of the sleight of hand provincial Liberals double dipping into our pockets with no accountability. We need to put the blame where it rightly belongs.
Fred Muzin
Courtenay