Parking or Principle? The Fight to Ease the Load for Cancer Patients

It’s a small thing, really, a parking fee. But when you’re facing the fight of your life, when every ounce of strength is dedicated to battling cancer, even the smallest financial burden can feel like a mountainous injustice. And honestly, for countless patients in Prince Albert and across Saskatchewan, that’s precisely what the routine act of parking at a healthcare facility has become: another stressor, another cost, another unfair obstacle on an already brutal path.

Enter Don Cody, a name familiar to many in Prince Albert, a former city councillor with a reputation for tenacity. He’s back, you see, once again championing a cause that, in truth, never really went away. Cody has, for years, been a vocal advocate against the seemingly endless charges levied against cancer patients — those who, by virtue of their illness, must visit hospitals repeatedly, often for hours on end, just to receive life-sustaining treatment. He’s not new to this particular soapbox, not by a long shot.

Think about it for a moment. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy — these aren't one-and-done appointments. They are often grueling, regular pilgrimages to the hospital. A patient might be there three, four, five times a week; each visit demanding hours of their day, each visit accruing parking costs. It quickly adds up, doesn’t it? For someone already grappling with medical expenses, lost income, and the sheer emotional and physical toll of cancer, these parking fees, whether hourly or a pricey monthly pass, just feel… well, wrong. Undignified, even.

Cody’s argument, and frankly, it’s one that resonates deeply, is quite simple: healthcare, at its core, should be free at the point of access. And if we truly believe in that principle, then shouldn’t that extend to the necessary act of simply getting to treatment? Other provinces, bless them, have figured this out. Alberta, for example, has moved towards providing free parking for cancer patients. So, why not Saskatchewan? Is our compassion somehow less robust?

His renewed campaign is a direct challenge to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and, indeed, the provincial government. It’s a plea for them to look beyond the balance sheets, beyond the revenue streams, and instead, to see the human faces behind the statistics. To understand the quiet desperation, the added anxiety, that these seemingly minor charges inflict. You could say it's about prioritizing people over pennies, about extending a genuine hand of support when it’s needed most.

Because in the end, this isn’t just about a parking spot. It’s about respect, about dignity, and about ensuring that our most vulnerable citizens can focus entirely on healing, free from unnecessary financial worries. And that, really, is a fight worth having, don't you think?