Parking at N.S. hospitals, health-care facilities will be free starting Thursday

Nova Scotia has announced that parking will be free at health-care centres.

Parking at hospitals and health-care facilities across Nova Scotia will soon be free for patients, health-care workers and visitors.

A news release from the province Wednesday says on-site parking will be waived effective May 1.

The change was one of Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston’s campaign promises, where he vowed to eliminate fees for everyone parking at a Nova Scotia Health Authority or IWK property if re-elected.

“I know people have been eager to see this change. Nova Scotians shouldn’t have to worry about parking fees when they’re sick and seeking healthcare or caring for our loved ones,” said Houston in a news release.

“I think it’s great for people coming from out of town or for those people who really need a car to go and visit their loved ones or to come to the hospital,” said motorist Sylvain Rouillard.

The province says a ticket validation system will be implemented at some sites to ensure parking is only used by patients, visitors, health-care workers and staff. Other parking facility users will have to pay to park.

“Specific details surrounding the free-parking initiative could vary or be adjusted across the province as each facility’s unique infrastructure and capacity limitations are more fully assessed,” reads the news release.

The total cost of the free parking is approximately $19 million annually, which the province says was included in the 2025-26 budget.

Hugh Gillis, first vice president of the Nova Scotia Government Employment Union, says the move is something many health-care workers will be happy to hear.

“There’s no question about it, it sounds very positive,” said Gillis.

“It certainly benefits the staff, particularly some of our lowest paid health-care staff workers. It’s been a real problem, especially with regards to the affordability that we currently find ourselves in.”

Nova Scotia currently has 97 parking lots across the province, 39 of which charge for parking.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page