What you need to know about the Hospital’s upgraded parking system

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) has introduced a new parking system for patients, families and visitors. Instead of a chip coin, people will now receive a paper parking ticket when entering parking lots. Parking equipment will be upgraded in D – Deer Lot, C2 – Coyote Lot, I – Turtle Lot, B – Bear Lot, B2 – Moose Lot, and A1 – Eagle Lot. We wanted to take this opportunity to answer some of our most frequently asked questions.

What is the new parking process?

To get a ticket, simply press the yellow button on the front of the terminal outside the parking lot. Take the ticket, and the gate will open up. Our existing pay stations, located inside the Hospital, have been upgraded to include a barcode reader (installation of new pay stations is planned for the end of January 2023). Scan your ticket on the new reader installed on the pay station and follow the directions to complete payment. When exiting, you will scan that paid ticket on the barcode reader. The gate will open and you can exit.

If you require frequent parking at TBRHSC, there are multi-pass options available, including seven- and 30-day passes.  Please check the parking kiosks at TBRHSC for options and rates.

Why are we upgrading the parking system?

Our equipment is aging, and Northwestern Ontario weather has taken its toll on the parking system components. Replacement parts are no longer being produced, and the vendor is no longer supporting chip coins and the associated technology.

Additionally, the old parking machines can quickly run out of chip coins during peak times, leading to congestion at parking lot entrances. The upgraded system can hold 4,000 tickets and will alert our team when we have less than 2,000 available so that we can top up well before we run out.

What are the benefits of this new system?

The upgraded system is built for cold, Northwestern Ontario weather. There is less maintenance required and fewer components that can fail. We anticipate less downtime resulting from jams and components needing repair and fewer delays for patients and visitors needing to call security to be buzzed into the parking lot.

Once the full upgrade is complete, patients and visitors will have the ability to pay with a wide variety of options (i.e. credit, debit, cash and Apple pay) and will have the option to pay at the gate as well.

What do the parking fees cover?

The costs associated with parking lots are not covered by government funding. The Hospital uses parking fees collected to cover the cost of providing, maintaining and administering the parking facilities (such as lighting, asphalt and equipment maintenance, line painting and snow removal) and to support operational costs related to patient care.

At TBRHSC, onsite parking is available in an equitable way to all users of the Hospital. This upgraded, modern, easy to use parking system, will ensure that patients, families and visitors have convenient and timely access to the Hospital with fewer delays. To learn more about parking at TBRHSC, please visit https://bit.ly/TBRHSC-Parking.