Thunder Bay hospital staff to rally against Ford’s plan to privatize hospital services

Front-line nurses, medical lab technologists, health-care aides, cleaners, clerical and other hospital staff from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will rally to stop Doug Ford’s plan to contract out hospital surgeries and diagnostic procedures to private clinics.

• When: July 4, 11am – 1pm
• Where: Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, 1004 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, next to the Oliver Road entrance
• Who: Front-line health-care workers alongside Local and Provincial Leaders of ONA, OPSEU/SEFPO, and SEIU Healthcare
• What: Rally against privatization of hospital services and banner with signatures of close to 1300 Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre staff committed to keeping hospital care public.

The unionized staff at the hospital are represented by OPSEU/SEFPO, ONA, and SEIU Healthcare.The action comes in response to the Ontario PC’s recent legislation, Bill 60, the deceptively-named Your Health Act. The bill farms out surgeries and diagnostic procedures to private, for-profit clinics. Hospital staff say this PC plan would devastate the services in most of Ontario’s public hospitals, including Thunder Bay’s, and threaten public healthcare.Since the provincial government’s push to privatize hospital services and bring in American-style healthcare was made public, tens of thousands of hospital staff who are members of CUPE, ONA, OPSEU/SEFPO, SEIU Healthcare and Unifor have been organizing campaigns at community hospitals to fight against the plan. Today’s rally is part of an ongoing series of visible actions by front-line hospital staff in communities across the province.