Ontario Health Coalition planning online protest Tuesday against Ford’s health cuts

Thousands of union members and other Ontario residents upset with cuts to health care in the province are expected to participate in an emergency meeting Tuesday evening via Zoom to fight back.

“The Doug Ford government is not going to stop until he has dismantled and privatized our public hospitals – unless we stop him,” urged the Ontario Health Coalition, a network of more than 400,000 organizations representing more than half a million Ontarians. “Every single person who is willing to help is needed as we plan to mount a major and urgent fight against Ford’s attempt to privatize our public hospitals.”

The coalition is asking people to register for the emergency meeting at Online health cuts protest

CUPE, the coalition’s largest public sector partner, posted on social media that action is needed because “Ford and the Conservatives continue in their pursuits to sell off parts of our public services to private agencies. Action is needed now.”

The frustration with Ford’s government came to a head last week when Queen’s Park announced their plans to build new for-profit surgical/diagnostic hospitals and expand for-profit clinics, a statement from CUPE read.

“At the same time, the Ford government has left our public hospitals with operating rooms that are closed in the evenings, on weekends, for days and months at a time, or even permanently, due to inadequate funding and staffing to run them. Similarly, MRIs and other diagnostics in public hospitals have been limited due to inadequate funding and staffing. Now, after having worsened the staffing crisis in public hospitals and having done nothing to ramp up public hospitals to operate to their capacity, Ford is launching privatization of their core services as if it is a ‘solution.’”

“It is the old formula,” the statement continued. “Create a crisis and privatize.

More than 10,000 people rallied at Queen’s Park against health care cutbacks in pre-pandemic times in 2019, as well as several other times during Ford’s tenure as Premier.

The online meeting will take place from seven p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on January 31.

@fordnation is not going to stop 'til he has dismantled & privatized our public hospitals.

UNLESS WE STOP HIM.

Every single person who is willing to help is needed.

Tues Jan 31 via Zoom, 7 – 8:30 pm. All members & allies pls join this emergency online mtng >>

— OntarioHealthCoal'n (@OntarioHealthC) January 27, 2023