UFCW activists and allies rally to protect public health care in Ontario

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Toronto – May 2, 2019 – UFCW Canada activists from across Ontario joined thousands of health care professionals and community and labour allies at a major rally in support of keeping Ontario’s health care system public.

Participants gathered on the lawns of the Ontario Legislature to protest the Ford government’s health care restructuring plans and austerity measures – plans that include changes to the province’s paramedic services and drastic cuts to public health.

Many at the rally also raised concern over the Ford government’s drastic service cutbacks and elimination of other health services, including funding for mental health initiatives, overdose prevention sites, autism assistance programs, and more.

“Good, public health care is a cornerstone of Canadian society,” says UFCW Canada Local 175 President Shawn Haggerty, who joined other labour leaders and activists at the rally. “The changes that the Ford government has revealed to our health care system will undermine that cornerstone. As a union that represents thousands of workers in the health care sector, including EMS workers and long-term and home care workers, among others, we are proud to make our collective voice heard and to support good, universal public health care in Ontario,” he adds.

The event was organized by the Ontario Health Coalition, a network comprised of unions and local health coalitions from across Ontario aimed at protecting and improving the province’s public health care system. To learn more about the Ontario Health Coalition, click here.