PaulyParker
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Collin Kennedy, who is a cancer patient, used expanding spray foam to disable a parking meter at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg where he gets his treatment. He says the fees are a tax on the sick.
DominicanLou
I'll take misplaced anger for $400 Alex
GnomeMode
You get free healthcare. Shut up. If I developed cancer tomorrow, I start preparing to die cuz there's no fucking way I can pay for it.
stormegedendarklordofall
He is still a dick though, that's vandalism. He should have found another, more legal way to protest it.
g3engineeringdesign
Is everything supposed to be free? Do you know how much a parking garage costs to build/operate? Not a tax on the sick, its car space rent
DerangedMoosh
Ant a ticket for vandalism is a tax on stupidity.
xapi
FREE hospital and he's whining about $5 for parking.
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zexurge
Won't removing the machine allow non-patients to park there for free?
madmanmoe64
they need a ticket validation system, so patients park free, others pay. Used at lots of other hospitals, retail parks etc.
Meyhna
All the Americans in here like
IKantEven
Is this what Canadian Terrorism looks like?
cerpintaxt475
If you want to know what Canadian terrorism looks like google "October crisis"
notmyfirstrodeo
The winner of the international sense of entitlement for 2017 was declared early today.
cerpintaxt475
I don't condone the vandalism, but there really is a problem with hospitals in Canada gouging patients and families with parking fees.
wilwith1l
The parking is on-street, and not owned by the hospital. It's the city charging for parking.
Retsam19
Won't it be worse if parking is free, but you've got to walk a long way because other people are taking advantage of the free parking?
Imalwaysready
Shhhhhhh. Logic has no place here.
Retsam19
Best solution would be if they gave parking vouchers to cover the costs for verified patients. (Certainly a better solution than vandalism)
lawideas
Gets hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cancer treatment for free - bitches about a small parking fee.
Talann1
"everything should be free. who cares where the money comes from." - that guy probably.
liam33
my taxes and the taxes of every other taxpayer in the country go towards paying your expensive cancer treatment so why dont you shut the
liam33
fuck up and pay for it yourself and stop destroying these machines
Talldarkandworrisome
Is expanding foam spray cheaper?
madmanmoe64
it's really cheap, £5 a can here (less if you buy in bulk), and you can vandalise at least 50 machines with it.
UnnecessaryComma
This is from a few years ago. Didn't work out in his favour.
ohmygodimonfirewhyarentyouhelping
Yep, where I live in Canada the parking costs are insane. So everyone usually parks at a lot near and walks over
Kitash
Where on earth are you people going to the hospital everywhere I've worked had free parking and a free valet ER still expensive af though
iknowsomethings
Southern California. I go in for a lot of appointments each year. Pay parking every single time. Validated = $4 instead of $20.
hyaenidae
Pretty much every British hospital. I got charged out the ears once after my MRI appt ran late. Ironically healthcare is free, parking no
cerpintaxt475
Winnipeg. It says it right there.
snooterpatooter
As a medic that regularly goes to that hospital. Yes. It is such B.S.. It is unreasonably expensive.
Imalwaysready
Unreasonably expensive because you feel that it is unreasonably expensive or because you actually know what the money is used to pay for?
gingen
Except that if you ask, generally every hospital that admits patients will validate parking. I've gone in for blood work and had it covered
cerpintaxt475
This is street parking not a garage. You have to pay the meter when you park, not when you leave.
gingen
I mean...unless the place doesn't have a parking ramp? Which would be weird for a medical facility unless it's a small one.
cerpintaxt475
This is street parking
gingen
I understand that but i was more thinking a medical facility might have a parking ramp too. But maybe it's a small place and doesn't.
deebaser
What a feckless dicknugget
PlayingNiceForOnce
"until they are removed"...or you go to jail.
SnowMongoose
Your daily reminder that not all Canadians are kind and polite people.
LowFloorBus
Being from Winnipeg, I know there's an app you can use to pay for parking, plus the area around HSC has free parking a few blocks over.
initialo
How does the app work? I don't imagine your phone can hork out a receipt to put on your dash
LowFloorBus
So this guy is basically just being a dick.
PreciousPotato
Well, if it were for free, anybody would park there as long as they like. However, why not install gates? Like, you get a ticket to enter,/1
PreciousPotato
but pay when you leave. Patients could get their tickets voided at the reception or so, so only visitors etc would have to pay. First /2
PreciousPotato
30min for free, if you just have to drop off or get sth quickly, then normal charge. Malls often do that, you just have to think of /3
PreciousPotato
getting a cashier to void the ticket.
Wpgtech
I'm from Winnipeg. Those meters he's vandalizing are on city property, not the hospital. HSC has no say on parking on the street.
Darthran
That's the high cost of free parking
fortherecipes
Admin take up most parking spots
UncivilizedEngie
Kinda reminds me of the vandals that closed an oil pipeline manually. That creates a pressure hammer and weakens the pipeline.
kmikl
The meters are from the city, but Impark is contracted by the hospital, and they have to listen to the hospital, they're not blameless. /1
kmikl
/2 He's got a problem with all the parking fees charged in the area, but is doing this to a city meter because that will provoke a reaction.
kriositivity
You can ignore private company parking tickets anyway; at least here in BC. Plus if you register your car with the hospital fees are waived
kriositivity
Sorry not city ones but most hospitals use a private company.
kriositivity
It's not common knowledge I'm sure for a reason. Hypochondriacs take doctors from people, so staff only tell frequent care visitors
kriositivity
guess this guy didn't make that list...
BumbleBeeBeardedGingerBear
i think the easiest answer is hospital issued oarking passes that are registered with the state to waive parking fees in that district.
MsSchadenfraulein
This is a way better idea. If these are removed, the area would be swamped with ppl parking all day & not necessarily those that need them!
BumbleBeeBeardedGingerBear
*parking. that way the spots aren't rushed by opportunists.
13thDukeofWybourne
Meanwhile in Holland patients can get a ticket from the hospital to exit the car park free, while everyone else has to pay when they leave.
Mithi
That is clearly a too easy solution.
rocketturttle
tbf, that is true of many places in the US as well.
13thDukeofWybourne
Good for those
mikeatike
So now nobody can park there. Because you can be god damn sure they will ticket anyhow.
UpvoteGenerator
No fee can be charged if the pay machine us broken. Smart man. :)
whatupmyknitters
people can still park there. as far as i've seen if the meter's broken you can still park, you just have to indicate that the meter's broken
MikeAlvelais
That has never worked for me. Always a ticket. I learned my lesson after the second time.
mikeatike
That would be pretty cool, but I can guarantee that in my city that is not what would happen. All of the meters are linked together so
mikeatike
it's the drivers responsibility to walk around and find one that works. Not that I have ever seen one broken, but they are pretty new.
imnotryan
No no no. First of all that parking lot has pay by phone app. So now if you can't pay with your cell phone, you don't park. Thanks retard.
mikeatike
Also if the spots are not pay, others will take up the spots looking for free parking. Maybe insurance should pay for parking at hospital.
QuiteADapperAsshole
I'd say ideally they could pass multiple free parking passes out to anyone that requires repeated visits for treatment.
PerrinAybara564
Or have the hospital cover parking there; my emergency vet uses large(ish) tokens, where otherwise it's $1.00 in quarters.
SamuthNBS
That's not how national insurance works. You don't pay and claim it back, you just never see the bill in the first place
Skizzlesnap
Or hey, here's an idea. Don't charge for parking. Problem solved.
kmikl
Better idea: charge for parking admission, but validate and refund if you are there for treatment/family.
LvAllen
Tragedy of the Commons. Free parking leads to too many cars in the area.
mikeatike
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hotels.png
mikeatike
Free parking will mean that people not going to the hospital will park there.
mikeatike
If it is not free, those people will park somewhere else that is free, or somewhere closer to their destination and pay.
refjazzy
cant you pay with an app on your phone is some places.....so destroy the machine you can still park there and pay
mikeatike
Good point, then it just fucks over people without the app.
SilentScreamsX
I believe that's what the 5467 on the side of the machine is. It's the reference code for that carpark for the app.
kusuriya
I hope he knows all he has managed to do is get his fellow cancer patients tickets and encourage the city to leave the machine.
konabrown
Hate to break it to you, " the city " doesn't meter hospital parking lots
Crazydax
I think that when traffic cops see the machine unable to be used, they can't ticket because who is to say the city didn't do it for money?
SamuthNBS
Most places won't ticket if it's not possible to buy a valid ticket
nevergoingtogiveyouupnevergoingtoletyoudown
Most places... but this is Winnipeg we're talking about.
kmikl
Still valid as far as I know. Winnipeg uses the same setup as Ottawa.
scottjaeger
since the ticket would be thrown out anyway, and the judge might be pissed at the hospital wasting the court's time
SamuthNBS
Parking tickets going to court? Jesus, sometimes I feel like I live in anarchy compared to some places.
Jusmar
Most legal penalties can be appealed in front of judges or committees within the U.S judicial system.
scottjaeger
*all* legal penalties, as far as I know
Herebychoice
Destruction of public property .. not a good idea. Sorry he has cancer, but he seems to be a hoser.
SamuthNBS
Most countries aren't quite as uptight about government property as the US
FALLOUTFREAK101
Don't worry about it, he's from Winnipeg our whole city is a shithole.
mikeatike
And filming it.
OneCraftyHooker
The place where he gets his cancer treatment for free but is mad that he has to help maintain the parking lot to park there. Walk then.
321Cheers
A sick man's livelihood or some freshly painted compact car parking spots? I'll choose the his livelihood and pay for the destruction.
ErinFromTheOffice
"You wanna put me in jail and have to cover the costs of all my cancer treatment? Bring it on, fuckers"
imnotryan
No. It's just fines. He'll die without paying them. Then his wife will die riddled with debt.
Secretsquid
He's from Canada it's free anyway
Imalwaysready
Why jail? They'll just fine him a hell of a lot more than parking would cost and leave him on the outside to deal with his own treatment.
Subsound
I'm not for destruction of property, but billing someone to park already paying tens of the ends of dollars to live is awful
Geezer498
Canada has free healthcare.
Hizoran
It's not free. Look at the price of our gas, and booze. We pay for it.
Subsound
Its not entirely tax paid, some parts are and some parts are not, if you're Canadian I would save...just not as much as Americans
HamsterOnAGoat
No one said he had to drive himself there and park
Subsound
So pay more for a taxi or uber?
HamsterOnAGoat
Family? Friends? Public transit?
Subsound
I'm not sure about his family situation, but public transit isn't really an option.
Tassyr
He's Canadian. His taxes have him covered. He's ONLY on the hook for the fucking parking fee.
Subsound
Its a bit more complicated than that http://globalnews.ca/news/1656699/the-cost-of-cancer-how-much-do-cancer-drugs-cost-canadians/
AngryFennec
It's canada, he ain't paying shit unless you count the taxes everyone there pays to fund the system.
Subsound
Its a bit more complicated than that http://globalnews.ca/news/1656699/the-cost-of-cancer-how-much-do-cancer-drugs-cost-canadians/
DoubleBarrelBanana
It's a real dick punch to have to pay $4-5 an hour for parking at an otherwise free hospital, especially when you're there for the ER. 1/2
unefemmeingenieur
The medical center I work at turned all the free employee parking into free patient parking and now I have to pay $80/month to park at work
AbyssalGigantism
Ah damn 20 bucks for my cancer treatment that fucking sucks bro
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kmikl
Sometimes you have to do something to make a point, though. He was in a situation that he could, and did. No repercussions, but it might/1
kmikl
/2 be of limited effectiveness.
WillJeSuis
I got confused, you use the $ sign but then you use the words "free hospital"
OMGimaDragon
My doc's office is a private lot and it's $4. Might not seem like much but if you gotta go weekly with no job it get hard.
kirbynomnoms
My parents parked about a mile away and walked to avoid $35/day parking costs when I was in the hospital for 4 days
ThomasW687
I'm pretty sure the money doesn't go to the hospital it's a an external company
Bandignomette
If it is anything like here, it is a private company that actually collects the funds (British Columbia). At least in the interior.
kmikl
Impark pays the hospital a fee to administer the parking facilities, and pays a royalty to the hospital.
d0o0o0d
You think it's a dick punch at a free hospital? Try it when your insurance policy has a $6k annual deductible.
DoubleBarrelBanana
I realize it can be worse, that's true for anything. But considering taxes pay for the service anyways, why draw the line at parking?
d0o0o0d
Well, they probably do it to discourage the non-patients who would abuse free parking. Still annoying.
TheN8
You realise it's not ACTUALLY free, right? Higher taxes pay for healthcare for everyone....
hellothisispeggy
Yet somehow it still ends up costing less than care in america per person as only some are covered in the us but all are in canada.
TheN8
Same in the UK. Our taxes are about 25% of earnings.
icelandicsealbear
Yea I don't fucking get that. if you're a patient, you get valet for 5 dollars which is less than parking in the garage for an hour, but...
icelandicsealbear
you're a patient. It doesn't come out of your HSA. It's just a money grab in a lot of ways.
McGreed
They have to be able to pay for the parking area, or else they cannot maintain the parking guards... wait a minute.
notmyfirstrodeo
He is saving thousands or ten of thousands in medicsl costs. Sorry you have cancer, but pay the parking fee, you freeloader.
kmikl
The point whooshed right by you, didn't it?
notmyfirstrodeo
The point that he thinks that any & everything related to his medical care should be free to him? It's street parking, not a hospital lot.
kmikl
Still hasn't come in for a landing. Give it a minute.
notmyfirstrodeo
Does he feel he should get free food, clothes, housing, etc. because he as cancer, too. I am not missing the point the guy is a mooch.
W92Baj
Is he? How?
notmyfirstrodeo
He isn't paying for his care. The least he can pay is a parking meter for on the street parking. Take a bus if he doesn't want to pay.
W92Baj
Isn't he?
notmyfirstrodeo
From the news reports, his mom drives him & paid $600 ($3.50 in Freedom units) over a 6-week period for parking. So less than $17 a day...
noxdracoria
its not okay to charge sick people parking - or their families - like paying 20$+ for the hours you waited while your nana passes away...
noxdracoria
or when your other grandma passes or when your grandpa is taken off life support or when your bf's brother dies - you gotta be there for her
noxdracoria
conversely my friend paid for a lot of parking when his wife gave birth - they didn't reimburse that either...
jmega
Yeah our hospitals charge us parking and they even remind us as we check in.
noxdracoria
candleinhisdick
Lol $4 is a steal. $10 an hour at my local hospital
kmikl
Doesn't make it right.
AbyssalKraken
Where do you live?
candleinhisdick
Durham region. Lakeridge health charges $4.50 per half hour to park
AbyssalKraken
Wtf that's insane. I guess free healthcare needs money somehow, but still.
candleinhisdick
The problem is caused by contractors who operate the facilities
keystotheairlock
You must not me American.
SoundFuture
Right? Only $5/hour for parking. I wish!
kmikl
$25/day is a lot over multiple weeks. Cheaper to just park about 1km away, and call an uber to the hospital with other people.
SoundFuture
Absolutely it is. The Texas Medical Center is that way. If you're there for two or more hours it's the full day rate. It's a cash cow.
kmikl
Ouch... man that's a kick in the knackers.
keystotheairlock
*be
DoubleBarrelBanana
Canadian. I'm happy to have free healthcare, but I understand that I pay taxes for it. I don't see why we can't just make it free parking.
Tubhumping
Free parking? What is this? Monopoly??
DoubleBarrelBanana
If you looked at our money, you might just think so. I think we need to complete the effect.
usersubbordercontrol
Free healthcare here is pretty horrible
DrClaww
Just don't get sick, duuh. Oh, and simply just stop being poor! It's easy when you boast being rich after inheriting mom and dads fortune
whatupmyknitters
is there non-free healthcare in canada?
Bandignomette
In BC it is set up like an involuntary insurance you pay either monthly or if you are made of money 3 or 6 month increments.
doczaius
On the other hand, getting thousands of dollars in treatment for only the price of parking is a pretty sweet deal.
boareo
Cancer treatment isn't necessarily completely free.
EGOT
Who said it's free? And what on earth makes you think cancer treatment is "thousands" of dollars? Hundreds of thousands.
doczaius
The guy I responded to said it was a "free hospital," and you're making my point even more awesome than it was.
EGOT
Taxes, bro.
chocolatecatwizard
I worked in collections and some people had medical bills for millions. I felt so bad.
EGOT
Yeah, and a lot of the costs are arbitrarily decided which is the bullshit part.
kmikl
For him, it's free: hes on social assistance. Also, the Manitoba health care plan pays radically less for cancer treatments than you /1
kmikl
/2 would in the US because costs are more standardized in PPP hospitals.
fives
its not free they pay with taxes
SyntKei
Taxes also pay for kids to go to school, the police, firefighters, paramedics, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
doczaius
This particular guy is getting "free" health care, which I'm okay with.
kmikl
For him, it's actually free: he's on social assistance last I read.
W92Baj
When we say Americans should sort out there healthcare and go to a 'free' system you all point out how it is not free and you dont want ...
W92Baj
to pay the 'huge' tax hike yet this guy somehow has magic free healthcare he didn't pay for. Which is it?
DoubleBarrelBanana
2/2 It doesn't excuse the destruction of property though, especially when you consider that the funds to fix it are likely from taxes.
notaballoon
NOTHING justifies the destruction of property, for property is truly sacred
CoffeeTrampTossBitch
Good point
scottjaeger
Of course no one should ever protest in a way that damages property! My heavens! Or that inconveniences anyone. Or holds up traffic.
liam33
guys from Canada his cancer treatment is paid for by taxes. Hes just an ungrateful asshole
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DoubleBarrelBanana
I'm sorry, I don't really understand the relevance to my point.
THExPILLOx
it was a bit crappy of a comparison but essentially he is saying that if the hospital was instead a burglar. Then someone called the cops on
ImIsStranger
As an American, I'd gladly pay the parking fees for a trip to the ER thats free. My copay is $25 for General and $40 for a Specialist anyway
DylanIsBored
As an American I'm glad my country can't deny me health care or the option to fly overseas for health care
DoubleBarrelBanana
That's a fair point. I guess it just seems like a small bump in taxes would eliminate that annoyance in an otherwise free service.
JackieTreehornProductions
ER visit = $300 for me. Urgent Care = $175 Minute clinics = about $60 on average Regular Dr. Visit = $120 on avg
ImIsStranger
Jesus.
Tirefire45
You deserve to have free access to both.
ImIsStranger
I agree but capitalism my dear boy!
PolishPancakeWithCanadianMapleSyrup
The problem here in Canada is that people never see how much it cost taxpayers for hospital visits. So they actually think its free.
ImIsStranger
It's money you never see so it appears free.
nottherapist
Estimates say the United States actually pays more of our tax towards our private health system than UHC countries do, per person.
noxdracoria
UHC systems have bargaining power to keep prices low by comparison w/private systems where every hospital has to negotiate its own deals
benkey1
As an American I am jealous of your copay and your implied free parking at the hospital. $2 per half hour last time I went.
ImIsStranger
Dang. Yeah I don't live in a huge city so the parking only costs money at the beach or the airport.
Serrahfina
Our parking in Pittsburgh can go as high as 6 an hour for a nice garage spot, at the hospital, f you can get one. Most of them are leased
Serrahfina
with little to no parking for patients
PubstarHero
The last time I had to go to the ER, I just rode my bike down there because I couldnt afford an ambulance ride or parking fees.
PubstarHero
Yes, I was really that broke and my city had no public transportation. The $50 copay was coming from my food budget for the month.