Comment 111414

By highasageorgiapine (registered) | Posted May 05, 2015 at 16:06:21 in reply to Comment 111400

it is a taxable benefit. and i don't think making staff pay the standard rate for parking will really solve anything. as a resident of downtown, who lives by a hospital, i agree more parking spaces are a blight and not a good way of planning healthy communities.

on the other hand, as a healthcare provider who occasionally works at the general amongst other sites in the city, i don't see how most HHS staff who live in hamilton (not to even speak of those who do not) could reasonably get to work. the barton line is abysmal, being overcrowded and slow at the best of times. if you are not directly on the route (and not many staff would be) you will be taking quite a long and unpleasant trip to get there at 7 am.

biking anywhere near there is awful. i would usually take ferguson down to barton but that stretch of barton is not bike friendly. also, a lack of places to lock up a bike if you manage to get to your destination doesn't help. HHS has not done well with making their work locations very accommodating to those who use active transportation.

it seems a little vitriolic to state that the staff should shoulder the blame for this when they have made the choice to work for an organization serving the hamilton community in careers that provide solid middle class incomes to people from varied education and experiential backgrounds. the low wage, precarious service work in the shops on streets everyone in this city loves to gloat about endlessly aren't the key to a sustainable and healthy future.

the city has long neglected this community, and continues to do so. stopping this parking lot will help, but not if they don't invest money in proper infrastructure. seeing as how living near barton isn't going to appeal to toronto transplants, i wouldn't count on it.

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