May 21, 2023 – Peterborough, Ontario. When the Ontario Health Coalition warned last spring leading into the provincial election that the Ford government was planning to privatize surgeries and diagnostic services, Ford repeatedly denied that was his plan. Those claims are now shown to be totally false with Bill 60; the Ford government’s hospital privatization legislation passed into law on May 8th. The privatization of Ontario healthcare has been endorsed as an official policy by the Ford Government. This action will solidify the shift to a two-tier healthcare system for everyone in Ontario.

This will create 2-tier healthcare in Ontario in which patients will be faced with an increasing array of user charges and extra billing for care when they are sick, elderly, in need and least able to pay. The privatization of Ontario health care must be stopped immediately.

This is why for over a century people in communities across Ontario have funded and built their local public hospitals. Our government responded to this need 70 years ago by creating a public hospital system. It is also one of the reasons that private hospitals have been banned since 1973.

If you live in Ontario, you can vote online in a province-wide referendum at https://publichospitalvote.ca/ before the end of the May 26-27 weekend. Or you can vote in person across the province. Find your location here at the same link. You can also become involved in reversing this government decision through https://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca/.

This shift toward the privatization of Ontario healthcare must be stopped.

Joining me for this online discussion are former hospital administration staff member Marion Burton, Dr. Paul Cragg (retired), Nurse Practitioner Meaghan Allen and healthcare activist Roy Brady. This episode was recorded in Peterborough on May 21st, 2023.