Provincewide protests push back against health care cuts

Health care workers rallied on Saturday after the Ottawa Hospital announced it would be cutting three per cent of its workforce. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

Provincewide protests were held this weekend to push back against the privatization of health care in Ontario.

Health care worker supporters and politicians gathered at the Human Rights Monument in Ottawa to have their voices heard. The rally is being held only weeks after the Ottawa Hospital announced a plan to cut three per cent of its workforce.

“Our hospitals are going into debt. They are not receiving the transfers and the funding from the province that they need to keep functioning. We already have desperate situations of hallway health care, patients left in garages, people waiting for surgeries and wait times in our emergency rooms that are just off the charts,” said Kevin Skerrett, a spokesperson for the Ottawa Health Coalition.

Protestors were seen holding signs with statements like, “Don’t privatize our public health care.” Others at the rally were there to take issue with changes to Freedom of Information (FOI) laws and OSAP adjustments passed by the Ford government.

Barbara McKenzie says navigating the hospital is a nightmare.

“I was at the emergency room, and they made me wait eight hours and not putting me on the heart monitor, which they were saving them for the worst case,” she said. “They really hustled when they found out I had a serious infection of the outer lining of your heart.”

Diane Fraser is also looking for changes.

“I think if anybody has visited a hospital recently or has been with a loved one, the waiting lists are horrible,” she said. “It’s hallway healthcare.”

Many politicians were in attendance, saying the cuts will only strain the system more.

“Many people are being treated in hallways, many people are waiting 14 to 16 hours in the ER,” said Chandra Pasma, MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean.

“Without health care workers, we have no health care system so losing these positions means that people will just be waiting longer.”

In a statement to CTV News, the premier’s office says says it is making record investments in Ontario’s health care system.

“This year alone we are investing over $101 billion in our healthcare system, this includes a four per cent increase to the hospital sector for a fourth year in a row. This is in addition to the $60 billion we are investing to get shovels in the ground for new hospital across the province, including the new Ottawa hospital.”

Many across the province are still frustrated with the state of the health care system.

“I think what we are seeing is that the things that Ontarians count on, they’re not working anymore,” said John Fraser, interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Similar rallies were held in other cities, including Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, and the City of Kawartha Lakes.

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