Parking fines at hospital go from Grinch to Santa

Paying that hospital parking ticket could go from humbug to heartwarming.

Motorists slapped with a parking fine at any Alberta Health Services lot from Nov. 1 to Dec. 10 can opt to pay the penalty by providing a toy for a sick child.

“It’s a way of giving back. We’re hoping people play a bit of Santa and we’re just helping out and keeping it in the holiday spirit,” said Darren Zulinick, director of AHS parking operations for the south sector.

The new, unwrapped gifts will be delivered to patients at Alberta Children’s Hospital, which will be home for some over the holidays.

It’s hoped the value of the gifts will be equal to the cost of the parking ticket, but it’s not a binding requirement, said Zulinick.

“We’re going on the goodwill of people and we know Calgarians are pretty generous,” he said.

Recommended items are science kits, electronics or headphones, activity books, crayons and colouring books, DVDs, baby toys, Lego sets and gift cards for grocery stores or restaurants.

They can be delivered to any AHS parking office, where someone will cross off the fines upon receipt of the gifts.

“If we could get $4,000 worth of gifts, that’d be good,” said Zulinick, adding AHS issues about 2,500 parking tickets a month in the Calgary Zone.

Motorists have until Dec. 21 to deliver toys in lieu of a cash fine.

The approach is being conducted for the first time, in the Edmonton and Calgary zones only.

If it’s well-received, “we’d be expanding it to other zones next year,” said Zulinick.