A group of health care advocates is continuing its fight against privatization in Ontario.
The Ontario Health Coalition claims the Ford Government is shifting more than 18,000 long term care beds to for-profit companies with 30-year contracts.
The advocacy group is also raising the alarm over comments made by Health Minister Christine Elliott.
“We’re opening up paediatric surgeries, cancer screenings, making sure we can let independent health facilities operate private hospitals…,” Elliott said during a February 1st news conference.
Provincial officials later clarified Elliott’s statements were specifically referring to reducing the surgical backlog caused by Directive 2 pandemic restrictions.
Local chair Shirley Roebuck says the Health Coalition will be ramping up education and awareness efforts ahead of the provincial election this spring, and will be holding an emergency summit in April to prevent the privatization of health care.
“I think we’re having some positive effect on Ford’s government, we will keep up the fight doing what we need to do right now until April 7th, and then really come at them,” Roebuck says. “I am confident that we can make them back off and then abandon their plans for privatization.”
Roebuck says it will be up to voters to protect the future of public health care in Ontario.
