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Public Healthcare Rally Challenges Ford Government’s Funding Shift to Private Clinics
Posted: June 3, 2026
(June 2, 2026) By: Fred Alvarado Duron, Frequency News
Thousands gather at Queen’s Park, warning that hospital deficits and growing privatization threaten access to care across Ontario.
On May 28, public health care was at the centre of a province-wide march and rally at Queen’s Park, where thousands of healthcare workers, patients, seniors, union members, and community advocates gathered to oppose the Ontario government’s continued expansion of for-profit healthcare services.
Organized by the Ontario Health Coalition and supported by labour and community organizations from across the province, the rally drew participants from communities large and small, all carrying a common message: public healthcare funding should remain in the public system.
Speakers warned that diverting public dollars to private clinics could place additional pressure on hospitals already struggling with staffing shortages, long wait times, and financial deficits.
Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra challenged what she described as a misleading narrative around the growth of private clinics.
“The media is reporting this like Doug Ford is opening a few private clinics as an add-on to our public health system. But that is not what he’s doing,” Mehra told the crowd. “They’re privatizing our hospitals. And unless we fight, we will lose.”
Mehra argued that while public hospitals are being pushed to reduce services and operate with limited resources, increasing amounts of public funding are being directed toward private healthcare providers.
Ontario Health Coalition Research and campaigns coordinator Alanna Kong shared examples of patients being charged significant fees at private clinics.
“Every day we get calls and emails from patients, often seniors, because they’ve been charged illegally thousands of dollars in private clinics,” Kong said. “What we need is a properly funded public health care system, and it needs to be restored.”
The rally also featured personal stories from patients. One speaker described how her husband was required to pay additional fees connected to cataract surgery.
“We had no choice,” she said. “If he wanted the surgery, he had to sign up for the payments.”
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles joined demonstrators and praised the turnout from across the province.
“You have come from every corner of Ontario to send a message to Doug Ford that our public health care system is not for sale,” Stiles said.
Interim Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser also voiced concerns about growing barriers to care.
“Too many people have to use their credit card instead of their health card,” Fraser said. “That’s simply wrong.”
Throughout the afternoon, participants chanted, “Stop the privatization of our hospitals and public health care,” while organizers urged residents to contact their elected representatives and advocate for greater investment in public healthcare services.
For Regent Park, Moss Park, Corktown, and other downtown east communities, the future of Ontario’s healthcare system remains a critical local issue. Residents who already face barriers to healthcare access could be among those most affected by decisions that shift resources away from public hospitals and into for-profit healthcare services.
