Join a Local Event! Upcoming Town Halls, Local Meetings & Other Events

Please share & distribute widely.

Ontario Health Coalition

Upcoming Meetings and Events

HOSPITAL EMERGENCY Online Town Hall Meetings

Our public hospitals are in an unprecedented crisis. The Ford government has done substantially nothing to help them. Instead they have funnelled millions into for-profit corporations to privatize our public hospital services.

Almost 100 Emergency Departments have had closures across Ontario. If the Ford government continues to ignore & downplay the staffing crisis -- and use the crisis as an excuse to privatize - our community hospitals are at grave risk.

All across Ontario people have banded together for a century or more to build up our local public hospitals. We have volunteered, fundraised and donated from our pay cheques because these are vital services for our communities. The Ford government's plan would dismantle our local public hospitals, taking the profitable services out to for-profit corporations, robbing them of desperately needed staff and funding.

We must force the Ford government to address the crisis and take urgent action to support our local PUBLIC hospitals. We CAN do this, but everyone needs to help to make it happen.

Peel

TODAY: Monday, March 6 at 6 p.m.

Student Town Hall: The Future of Public Health Care

TODAY: Monday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Simcoe

Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.

The Threat of Privatization: Lessons from Home Care

The Ford government is rushing to move surgeries and diagnostics out of hospitals and to private, for-profit providers. We only need to look to the crisis in home care to see the long-term results of private, for-profit care.

The claim is that privatization is innovation, but home care was largely outsourced to for-profit providers in the 1990s and has been in a state of crisis ever since. Expert speakers and patients will give an in-depth status update on the crisis in our communities and detail how privatization has worsened care and working conditions.

Monday March 13 at 7 pm

Northumberland Rally & Forum (Save The Date)

The Northumberland Health Coalition is planning a short rally, followed by a forum with panelists and a discussion on upcoming plans of action. The rally will be across the street on the corner of William and Elgin and the forum will take place at the Best Western Hotel in Cobourg on Sunday April 2, starting at 1 PM.

More details will be coming on the Northumberland Health Coalition Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/979564962104842

Sunday April 2

1 pm, Corner of William St and Elgin St, Cobourg

Local Health Coalition Regular Planning Meetings

Everyone is welcome to join regular local health coalition planning meetings, where discussions on local and provincial public health care take place. They are listed below for the next month. If your local coalition is holding a meeting or has a regular monthly meeting date, please email back with “Local coalition meeting date” in the subject line and let us know.

Tuesday March 7

Newmarket & Aurora Organizing Meeting

7 pm, Register for the meeting here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsduCtpj0tHNVveQrSn9lm3b8XJfDJEFWl

Wednesday March 8

Thunder Bay Health Coalition Monthly Meeting

6:30 pm, For more information and Zoom details: please contact Jules Tupker at [email protected]

Thursday March 16

**NEW: Renfrew Health Coalition Meeting

7 pm, Join the meeting using the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84544693437?pwd=dDBtM0hlQUlldFZLV3g2QndxNkRjQT09

For more information: please contact Ed Cashman at [email protected]

Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton, Wallaceburg-Walpole Island Health Coalitions’ Monthly Meeting

7 pm, For more information and Zoom details: please contact Shirley Roebuck at [email protected]

Sunday March 19

Cornwall Health Coalition Meeting

1 pm, Benson Centre Room F, 800 Seventh St W, Cornwall

For more information: please contact Louise Lanctot at [email protected]

Monday March 20

Guelph District Health Coalition Monthly Meeting

7 pm, For more information and Zoom details: please contact the Guelph District Health Coalition at: [email protected]

Monday March 27

Hamilton Health Coalition Monthly Meeting

5 pm, USW Local 1005 Hall, 350 Kenilworth Ave. N., Hamilton

For more information: please contact Janina Lebon at [email protected]

Ottawa Health Coalition Monthly Meeting

7 pm, CUPE Local 503 Building Large Boardroom, 1505 Carling Ave, Ottawa

For more information: please contact the Ottawa Health Coalition at [email protected]

Health & Hope 2025 Lobby on the Hill (organized by the Canadian Health Coalition)

Join public health care advocates and experts, health care workers and patients for the Canadian Health Coalition Lobby on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The goal of Lobby is to advance the Canadian Health Coalition’s Health and Hope 2025 priorities for public health care, including: universal pharmacare, Safe long-term care, public dental care, investments in primary health care and in health care workers. The Lobby will take place from Monday March 27 to Wednesday March 29.

Deadline to Register: Wednesday March 8

Click here to register: https://healthcoalition.wufoo.com/forms/m1tfifm40rkfvv5/

For more information, please contact Tracy Glynn at: [email protected]

Windsor Emergency Healthcare Town Hall (organized by MPP Lisa Gretzky)

MPP Lisa Gretzky is hosting a health care town hall that is open to the public. Among the speakers is Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra.

Thursday March 9

6 – 7:30 pm, Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre, 3277 Sandwich St. W., Windsor

For more information and to RSVP, please contact MPP Gates’ office at: [email protected]

Latest posts

March 8 — International Women's Day

The brutal attack on equity south of the border is a poignant reminder of the power and importance of International Women's Day.

This Saturday, celebrate International Women's Day -- look for events near you.

In Toronto, rally at 11 a.m. at the OISE Auditorium (252 Bloor Street West) and join the IWD march at 1 pm. iwdtoronto.ca for more information.

Calling all Young Workers!

We need to vote like our lives depend on it, because they do. Doug Ford is not the guy for this job!

Black History Month – Celebrating and Committing

February is Black History Month, and this year the celebration of cultures comes as right-wing forces try to turn back the struggle for equality.

Sadly, south of the border the Trumpian alt-right tries to make equity, diversity and inclusion bad words. On this side of the border, it’s time for vigilance, especially for unions, who have been at the forefront of the struggle for equality.

The work is far from complete, especially when it comes to Black workers, who of all equity-seeking groups are most likely to feel the sting of bias and exclusion.

Consider the stats:

In 2023, 16% of Black Canadians with a bachelor’s or higher degree worked in jobs requiring only high school, compared to 11% of the general population (SRDC).

Black Canadians earn 75.6 cents for every dollar earned by non-racialized Canadians (TMU).

Unemployment for Black Canadians in 2023 in Canada was 9%, higher than the national average of 5.4%.

Employers are 40% more likely to interview a job applicant with an English-sounding name, despite identical qualifications (Government of Canada).

This February, we celebrate the Black communities of Canada and all the contributions of Black Canadians to the country whose freedom we defend. When everyone is given the chance to contribute to their potential, all Canadians win.

MAKE YOUR PERSONAL ELECTION PLAN

The countdown is on for a provincial election called in the middle of the winter only so Doug Ford could get back in before the PC’s abysmal ethical record catches up to them.

The Tories want you to tune out and not bother to cast your vote. Don’t fall for the PC ploy.

While Dougie has been making sweetheart deals with his business chronies, the rest of us are dealing with health care and education standards that are going down and a cost of living that’s going up.

Doug Ford is no Captain Canada. He told us the truth during that hot mic moment. He was delighted when Donald Trump was elected.

COPE Ontario is working with our locals and the labour movement to mobilize workers to act in their interests – vote against Doug Ford on election day.

For campaigns and canvasses in your area, check out the Ontario Federation of Labour website ofl.ca

Make your vote count!