The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is the province’s leading public health care advocacy group, with a long history of grassroots mobilization to protect and improve the public system. Its mandate includes resisting privatization, demanding adequate funding, and ensuring that health care remains universal, accessible, and not-for-profit.
Below is some information regarding an event taking place on April 25, 2026. Please consider attending and feel free to share and distribute widely.
Since the inception of public hospitals in Ontario, no government has undertaken privatization like this.
The Ford government has announced almost $300 million for 61 new private surgical and diagnostic clinics. By Ford’s own numbers, this will redirect 1.2 million patients away from public hospitals. This is truly unprecedented privatization of our public hospitals’ core services.
While pouring our public money into more expensive for-profit clinics and hospitals, our local public hospitals have been pushed into deficit by the Ford government.
Our hospitals are not theirs to privatize
This is the first in a series of protests across Ontario. Experience shows, if we can mount enough pressure we can stop Ford’s privatization.
Our goal is to inspire 10,000 Ontarians to come out. Let’s make a show of opposition that is equal to the threat.
Everyone who can join in matters.
Saturday, April 25
Stay tuned for dates & locations in the fall
CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES (LINDSAY), 12 pm
Outside MPP Laurie Scott’s office, 14 Lindsay St. N.
Contact: Bonnie Roe, 705-457-6579, bonnieroe08@gmail.com
OTTAWA, 12 pm
Canadian Tribute to Human Rights, 220 Elgin St.
Contact: Nancy Parker, OttawaHealthCo@gmail.com
PORT COLBORNE, 1:30 pm
64 Clarence St.
Contact: Sue Hotte, 905-932-1646, NiagaraHealthCoalition@yahoo.ca
ELMVALE (SIMCOE COUNTY), 11 am
Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival — at the tent across from the arena
Contact: Anisa Carrascal (647-835-7870), Anita Johnson-Ford, SimcoeCountyHC@gmail.com
ST. CATHARINES, 11 am
221 Glendale Ave.
Contact: Contact: Sue Hotte, 905-932-1646, NiagaraHealthCoalition@yahoo.ca
WATERLOO, 12 pm
Waterloo Town Square, 75 King St.
Contact: Jim Stewart, 519-588-5841, WaterlooRegionHealthCoalition@gmail.com
WINDSOR, 11 am
Outside MPP Andrew Dowie’s office, 5452 Tecumseh Rd. E
Contact: Patrick Hannon, 519-796-0410, WindsorHealthCoalition@gmail.com
Doug Ford is fond of telling the media that he is spending unprecedented amounts on health care. In fact, his government is spending unprecedented amounts on privatization.
On top of the $300 million for 61 private clinics — which are more expensive per surgery than public hospitals —
$952.8 million of our public funding is being paid to for-profit staffing agencies which charge double to triple more per nurse or PSW per hour. (That exorbitant mark up does not go to the staff — a huge amount of it goes to their administration and profit.)
Without exaggeration, more than a billion dollars per year is being taken away from our public hospitals to be spent on privatization. We have never seen privatization of this scale before.
At the same time, Ford is allowing private clinics to routinely charge patients — often seniors — up to $8,000 (or more) in the private cataract surgery clinics that his government already brought in.
Seniors, long since retired, have had to take out loans, use all their savings, and even go back to work in order to pay. This should never happen in Canada. It is why we fought for and created public health care in the first place.
In Alberta, private clinics charge up to $50,000 for orthopedic surgeries. If the private clinics in Ontario are allowed to expand into orthopedics and more, the unfettered expansion of patient charges will cause widespread suffering and inequality. It is no exaggeration to say that the privatization of our hospitals, which is bad enough, is also a fatal threat to Public Medicare.
That’s why we’re holding mass rallies across Ontario this spring on Saturday, April 25 and in the fall.
At this point, every single one of us makes a difference.
Thank you very much for helping and caring. Please share this widely.
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We are proud of the difference we make and we hope you are too. This work is only made possible by people who care like you. Please do become a member or donate. It matters!
If you can, please CLICK HERE to donate or become a member.
Ontario Health Coalition, PO Box 113 North York ON M3C 2R6 | T: 416-441-2502 |
