Key Issues Index

MYTH BUSTER: European Health Care Models

(July 22, 2026) Pro-privatization groups, some of which are funded by or linked to right-wing American organizations and corporate interests, have turned to making false claims about two-tier European health care systems in their push to privatize our Canadian public health care. This tactic is an attempt to divert attention from the American health care […]

RELEASE: Health coalitions call on premiers to protect public health care in the face of two-tier threat

(July 22, 2026) Charlottetown, PE — Public health care advocates rallying outside the premiers’ Council of the Federation meeting are demanding Canada’s premiers stop the spread of American-style, two-tier health care before it takes root nationwide. Alberta’s Bill 11 is at the centre of their concern. The law lets doctors decide, patient by patient, whether […]

RELEASE & VIDEO: Deaths, harm & risk in our blood system (press conference)

(July 15, 2026) If anyone wants to volunteer to join the Ontario Health Coalition’s Committee to Protect Ontario’s Blood System, please email us at info@OntarioHC.ca. On July 13, we held a press conference with representatives from Will Trial Lawyers to discuss patient safety issues related to Grifols, a for-profit pharmaceutical company. Grifols has been allowed […]

OPEN LETTER & RELEASE: Health Coalition Issues Open Letter to Health Minister to Stop Transfer of Lab Testing by Quest/Lifelabs to U.S.

(June 15, 2026) Link to Quest’s March 9, 2026 memo can be found here. Dear Minister Jones, We are writing to ask that you stop LifeLabs/Quest from sending Ontario patients laboratory specimens to Quest’s reference laboratories in the United States and restore our public hospital outpatient laboratories. As you know, in August 2024, Quest completed […]

EVENT: Get on Board May 28: Stop Ford’s Hospital Privatization Train Wreck giant protest

(April 14, 2026) Click here to sign up No cost but you must reserve your seat. (Donations to help cover the cost of the tickets are most appreciated.) In Toronto 12 p.m. Gather outside Union Station for a rally then march up to Queen’s Park for a giant protest groups will be joining in along […]

EVENTS: Stop the Privatization of Our Hospitals – April 25 Protests

(April 2, 2026) 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 […]

RELEASE: Revelations of Grifols’ non-compliance rate must result in end of contract: Ford government must comply with Voluntary Blood Donations Act & end for-profit/paid plasma

(March 31, 2026) Toronto- The Ontario Health Coalition was joined by health coalitions from across Canada in a press conference today to call on Health Canada, Canadian Blood Services and provincial governments to take immediate action to end Grifols’ authorization to collect plasma in Canada. In Ontario, specifically, the coalition demanded the Ford government comply […]

RELEASE: Health Coalition demands disclosures & end to Grifols’ for-profit blood plasma contract following reports of deaths, harm, non-compliance

(March 13, 2026) Toronto – The Ontario and Manitoba Health Coalitions held a press conference this morning to respond to a report from CBC about two patients who died in Winnipeg after having their blood plasma harvested at centres owned by for-profit pharmaceutical corporation Grifols. Another report followed, of a man who is suing, alleging kidney damage from […]

EVENTS: Call on our federal Liberal MPs to save public health care

(March 6, 2026) Don’t Let Them Destroy Canadian Public Health Care Monday, March 16 Alberta’s Danielle Smith government passed a new law to end universal public health care and bring in U.S. style privatization. Ontario’s Doug Ford government is cutting, closing and privatizing our public hospitals. Call on our federal Liberal MPs to help us […]

BRIEFING: Twin threats to Public Medicare

(February 13, 2026) For more information, click here for a longer briefing note. Alberta’s Danielle Smith government launches frontal assault on the Canada Health Act to end single tier public medicare & bring in U.S. private health care The threat to the future of Public Medicare in Ontario and across the country is at an […]

RELEASE & LETTER: In response to private lab closure in Sudbury, experts call on the province to transfer the service back to local public hospitals

(February 3, 2026) Link to letter sent to the Minister of Health can be found here. In response to the revelation that Lifelabs is closing its Sudbury laboratory, the Ontario Health Coalition called on the province to restore outpatient lab testing in the local public hospitals. The Coalition noted that Lifelabs is a profitable company […]

BRIEFING: Alberta’s “Bill 11” threat to public health care & Ontario’s Ford government privatization of public hospitals

(March 2, 2026) Detailed Briefing Note with Sources Twin threats to the public health care system across the country and to the public hospital system in Ontario have intensified to a critical level. With the passage of Alberta’s “Bill 11” in early December, the existential fight for public health care is upon us. If we […]

JOINT LETTER: Health Coalitions Demand Action: Alberta’s Bill 11 Threatens Public Health Care for All Canadians

(December 16, 2025) Dear Prime Minister the Right Honourable Mark Carney & Minister of Health the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Alberta’s Bill 11 The Health Statutes Amendment Act creates the legal framework for two-tier medicare. It establishes private health insurance and direct charges to patients for medically necessary health care. It will cause gross inequities in […]

RELEASE: Health Care Advocates Slam Ford Government for Privatizing Surgeries While Pushing Public Hospitals into Deficit

(December 11, 2025) Toronto – Ontario’s public hospitals have been pushed into deficit and ordered to find cuts while the Ford government shunts hundreds of millions of public dollars away from them to for-profit clinics, the Ontario Health Coalition warned today on the heels of the province’s announcement of plans to privatize thousands of orthopedic […]

RELEASE: Patients demand Ford government reimburse wrongful charges at Ford’s private clinics: more than 160 people join Day of Action at Ontario Legislature

(October 29, 2025) Toronto – Patients who have been wrongfully charged for surgeries and diagnostic tests at private clinics were joined by more than 160 supporters at the Ontario Legislature today for a “Day of Action” to demand answers and action. When he announced his government’s plans to vastly expand privatization of Ontario’s public hospitals’ […]

URGENT EVENT: Fill the Legislature Galleries on Wed Oct 29 to stop private clinics charging patients

(October 17, 2025) Come to the Ontario Legislature Wednesday October 29 Or host a Legislature Watch event in your community if you are not close enough to Toronto to come out. Please share widely. The situation is extremely urgent. At stake is our single tier public medicare & the services and funding in our local […]

ADVISORY: Protests Against Ford Government’s Expanding Hospital Privatization Plans

(September 22, 2025) Across Ontario– “The Ford government is privatizing our public hospitals in a move that is costing patients thousands of dollars and taking away from our local public hospital services. Everyone’s help is needed to pressure them to stop it.” That is the message brought by Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario […]

EVENT: CODE RED: Ontario-wide urgent call-out to save our public health care

(September 8, 2025) The Ford government is privatizing our public hospitals. That is not an exaggeration. When they privatized cataract surgeries, Ford appeared all over TV promising that people would never pay with their credit card, only their OHIP card. That was a lie. All over Ontario, seniors are now routinely charged thousands of dollars […]

LEAFLET: Ontario Health Coalition Leaflet & petition for Labour Day events and market tables

(August 28, 2025) Click here for printable version of the English leaflet Click here for printable version of the Simplified Chinese leaflet Click here for printable version of the Traditional Chinese leaflet We have a new leaflet ready for Labour Day events and market tables. It is designed to print either in black & white […]

ADVISORY: Health Coalitions from across Canada issued a joint statement in advance of the gathering of First Ministers and the Council of the Federation: Any governments across Canada that claim to prioritize the economy while dismantling our public health care have lost their moral compass

(July 17, 2025) Health Coalitions across Canada want our provincial and federal leaders to succeed in the new international context dealing with the Trump presidency. At this time, we urgently remind our political leaders that access to universal, comprehensive public health care is a core foundation of any just economy. Any governments that claim to […]

RELEASE: Health Coalition responds to shocking attack, calls on Health Minister to desist & instead answer for non-action on private clinics with the gravitas the issue deserves

(June 26, 2025) Toronto – Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra responded with the following letter to statements made on the Health Minister’s behalf by her spokespeople. The Coalition has been contacted by some media outlets for a response to the shocking tone and allegations in the statements. Letter to the Honourable Sylvia Jones, […]

RELEASE: Patient Advocates File Formal Complaints from 50 Patients, Call for Urgent Action to Stop Illegal Fees in Private Clinics

(June 17, 2025) Toronto – The Ontario Health Coalition was joined by patients from across Ontario in a press conference today as they announced that they have filed formal complaints on behalf of patients charged user fees for health care at private clinics. When the Ford government redirected resources away from public hospitals to expand […]

Open letters & petition to enforce the Canada Health Act & stop user charges for patients

(June 17, 2025) Open letters to the provincial and Federal Health Ministers, as well as a petition to call on the Government of Canada to uphold and enforce the Canada Health Act and take all possible measures to stop the Ford government from violating it, can be found below. Federal petition to enforce the Canada […]

Were you billed for an OHIP-funded service at a private health clinic in Ontario? Here’s how you could get a refund

(June 12, 2025) By: Mike Pearson, InsideHaltoncom Cataract surgeries, diagnostic imaging and services at private nurse practitioner clinics are three examples of out-of-pocket fees Ontario residents may face when accessing care at private health facilities, according to the Ontario Health Coalition. Did you receive a bill from a private health facility for something you thought […]

Do private clinics offer faster cataract surgeries in Ontario?

(June 11, 2025) By: Mike Pearson, The Hamilton Spectator A recent Toronto Star investigation found patients who visited private clinics for cataract surgery felt they had to pay between a few hundred up to thousands of dollars to bypass reportedly long wait times for better treatment, including upgraded lenses. Cataract surgeries, diagnostic imaging and services […]

Grey-Bruce represented at Ontario Health Coalition Day of Action

(May 23, 2025) By: Pauline Kerr, The Walkerton Herald Times The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) held a day of action at the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday, May 14. The purpose was to ask Premier Doug Ford and his government to stop hospital closures. Among those at the event was a small but well-prepared delegation from […]

Grey Bruce Health Coalition Talks Rural Health Care At Queen’s Park

(May 20, 2025) By: Nathan Shubert, Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre The Grey Bruce Health Coalition brought its concerns about regional healthcare to the Ontario Legislature. Co-Chair of the coalition Brenda Scott says a small group from the region joined the Ontario Health Coalition as a delegation to speak about the hospitals in Chesley and in […]

Hamilton nurses are logging excessive overtime. Advocates say it’s ‘unreasonable,’ ‘unsustainable’ and ‘dangerous’ for patients and workers

(May 9, 2025) By: Joanna Frketich, The Hamilton Spectator One Hamilton hospital nurse worked 24 hours straight. Another worked the equivalent of nearly 63 hours a week for an entire year. Three nurses worked so many hours that it added up to more than one and a half full-time jobs each. The increasing amount of […]

Hamilton hospitals spent millions on temp workers through secret contracts

(May 9, 2025) By: Joanna Frketich, The Hamilton Spectator (behind a paywall) –> The Ontario Health Coalition is quoted in the article: “When you’re in a crisis and there is no other option, you are going to use a staffing agency,” said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, which is an advocacy […]

NDP reintroduces private member’s bill on private clinic fees

(May 2, 2025) By: Randy Thoms, Kenora Online The provincial NDP wants the government to levy fines and penalties against private healthcare clinics that charge unfair fees. The party’s health critic France Gélinas attempted to get legislation passed in the previous session only to see it voted down after Second Reading. Gelinas says even the […]

Thessalon residents fight to save hospital amid ongoing closures

(May 2, 2025) By: Lisa Rene-de-Croet, Elliot Lake Today Local resident Mary-Jane Thompson is going to Queens Park on May 14, to try to save the Thessalon hospital. ‘We must advocate for change now’ Recent months have seen the Thessalon Hospital close its doors intermittently, prompting fears among residents that their access to essential healthcare […]

LifeLabs strike highlights risks of foreign ownership in Canadian health care

(April 30, 2025) By: Maddi Dellplain, Healthy Debate The months-long strike at British Columbia’s LifeLabs has raised questions about foreign ownership of medical services and Canadians’ health data. American-owned Quest Diagnostics purchased LifeLabs in August 2024 from OMERS, a jointly owned pension fund company, for CDN $1.35 billion. LifeLabs’ B.C. workers, who have been without […]

Toronto gynecologist linked to infection exposure resigns from college amid investigations

(April 28, 2025) By: Talia Ricci, CBC News Esther Park has agreed never to reapply for registration as a physician in Canada A Toronto doctor under investigation after thousands of people were potentially exposed to blood-borne infections at her gynecology office has resigned from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, CBC News has […]

TIFF Community Impact “Exclusion: Beyond the Silence”

Screening on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at Cinema 3 – Piers Handling Cinema at 7 p.m. To commemorate Asian Heritage Month, TIFF Community Impact is honoured to present a free screening of award-winning actor and playwright Keira Loughran’s feature debut, Exclusion: Beyond the Silence. This intimate documentary follows two granddaughters, Keira Loughran and Helen Lee, […]

Federal Election 2025: Political Party Records on Health Care & Questions for Candidates

(April 17, 2025) QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES: Uphold & Enforce the Canada Health Act The Canada Health Act bans extra-billing and user fees for patients for medically needed physician and hospital care – and those services when provided in free standing clinics (such as private surgical clinics) or by other health professionals (such as Nurse Practitioners) […]

Ontario measles outbreak raises urgent public health concerns

(April 16, 2025) by: Joseph Goden (with files from Grant Deme), Brighton Today The Ontario Health Coalition is sounding the alarm over a sharp rise in measles cases across the province and is urging a stronger public health response. According to Public Health, 816 measles cases – 678 confirmed and 138 probable – were reported […]

Toronto health officials warn of measles exposure at April 1 concert

(April 11, 2025) By: John Marchesan, CityNews Toronto Public Health is warning of a potential measles exposure at a recent concert. Health officials say anyone who attended the Forrest Frank show at Coca-Cola Coliseum on April 1 may have been exposed to the virus. TPH says a visitor to the city who has tested positive […]

Here’s what to do if you’re worried about improperly cleaned equipment at the doctor’s office

(April 11, 2025) By: Serena Austin, The Toronto Star It was a shock to thousands of Dr. Esther Park’s current and former patients to receive a letter from Toronto Public Health urging them to get tested for HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C due to improperly cleaned equipment used at the gynecologist’s office. The letters […]

Hamilton hospitals relying on lines of credit amid budget crisis

(April 9, 2025) By: Joanna Frketich, The Hamilton Spectator Hamilton’s largest hospital network is short about $40 million and has been using commercial operating lines of credit. It is the fourth year in a row Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) has had a projected deficit on its roughly $1.6-billion budget at the end of the fiscal […]

WEBINAR: Safe injection sites are under a major attack from the Ford government

(March 21, 2025) Here is a recording and resources from our webinar on safe injection sites with DJ Larkin, Executive Director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition on March 20, 2025. Safe injection sites, also known as overdose prevention sites and/or supervised consumption sites, are under a major attack from the Ford government who plans […]

Health coalition mulls appeal after LTC home court challenge denied

(March 13, 2025) By: The Trillium (behind a paywall) We held a press conference about the legal challenge on March 13, 2025, which was covered by The Trillium. Click here for the article

Healthcare advocacy group fighting for better care for Ontario seniors

(March 13, 2025) By: Scott Lightfoot, CTV News Click here to watch the video clip

Health Coalition has Charter challenge dismissed

(March 13, 2025) By: Randy Thoms, CFOB 93.1 The Border A healthcare advocacy group has lost a Charter challenge of legislation that allows hospitals to send Alternate Level of Care patients to a long-term care home. The Ontario Health Coalition argued Bill 7 unfairly targeted seniors. However, an Ontario court judge dismissed the case, ruling […]

RELEASE: Health Coalition shocked and disappointed with court rulings in Bill 7 Charter Challenge and Orchard Villa case; vows to continue the fight to protect the rights of the elderly

(March 13, 2025) Toronto – In a press conference this morning, the Ontario Health Coalition responded to court rulings in two cases impacting thousands of elderly hospital patients and long-term care residents in Ontario. The first case, known as the Bill 7 Charter Challenge, was brought by the Ontario Health Coalition and the Advocacy Centre […]

ROUNDUP: Ontario Health Coalition’s Work on the Proposed New 30-Year License and Expansion for Orchard Villa

(March 12, 2025) Orchard Villa Case Far from the stronger accountability promised after horrific conditions were exposed by the military in long-term care, the Ford government has decided to reward the worst of the long-term care chain companies by approving a new 30-year license and proposal to expand operations at the Orchard Villa site. The […]

BRIEFING NOTE & FACT SHEETS: Health Care Privatization Fact Sheets & Information

(July 22, 2026) Below is a quick summary of the key issues. Here are some fact sheets and additional information: Briefing Note: The Ford Government’s Privatization of Ontario’s Public Hospital Services Myth Buster: European Health Care Models Hospital privatization leaflet for fall 2025 Fact sheet & myth buster on “bed blockers” What is Public Medicare […]

LEGAL CHALLENGE: Charter Challenge to Bill 7 “More Beds, Better Care Act”

(March 12, 2025) Background on Bill 7 Charter Challenge Cornerstone to our system of modern medicine is the principle of informed consent to which all patients have the right. This legal case is a Charter Challenge, known as a Constitutional Challenge or a Challenge under the Charter of Rights. It was brought by the Ontario […]

RELEASE: Patients who have been extra-billed for surgeries in private for-profit clinics demand accountability in the Ontario election: Press conferences in towns across Ontario

(February 19, 2025) When he denied that his privatization plan would lead to two-tier medicare, Doug Ford promised unequivocally, “No Ontarian will ever have to pay with a credit card. They will pay with their OHIP card.” He garnered headlines across Ontario with that statement on January 11, 2023 while he announced his plans to […]

Rally planned today against paid blood donation facility

(March 3, 2025) By: DP Staff, Durham Post Activist Durham residents, healthcare workers, labour leaders, and the Ontario Health Care Coalition plan to rally at the Grifols Centre in Whitby to protest today (Monday, March 3), the operation of a paid plasma facility. Organizers outlined their concerns regarding the for-profit plasma collection: For-profit plasma collection […]

PCs announce plan to solve doctor shortage by 2029

(January 28, 2025) By: Alan S. Hale, Sudbury.com Just before an election where Ontario’s family doctor shortage is likely to be a major line of attack against the incumbent PCs, they’ve announced a plan they say would fix it EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted exclusively to covering […]

RELEASE: Ford government’s primary care announcement plays politics with people’s need for a family doctor: It’s a primary care “plan” to implement a plan delayed until the cusp of an election

(January 27, 2025) Toronto – No matter how anyone tries to spin the numbers, the actual data from sources not tainted by politics, show that more than a million Ontarians have lost their family doctor since before the Ford government was elected, reports the Ontario Health Coalition. In 2016, before the Ford government was elected […]

Charter challenge of Ontario’s controversial long-term care law thrown out by court

(January 24, 2025) By: Jennifer La Grassa, CBC News An Ontario court has thrown out a Charter challenge of a long-term care law that allows hospitals to move people into homes they didn’t choose, or charge them $400 a day if they want to go elsewhere. The case — brought forward by the Advocacy Centre […]

INFORMATION: Public Hearings on Ontario’s 2025 Budget (Pre-budget Consultations) Notice

(January 7, 2025) On this page, you can find the following information about the Ontario pre-budget consultations: Information about the pre-budget consultations List of hearing dates and deadlines to apply for standing Key messages on the Ford government’s handling of the budget Facts and figures The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs will meet […]

BRIEFING NOTES, VIDEO: Hospital discharges, the rights of patients & their substitute decision-makers

(December 20, 2024) Here is a recording and resources from our webinar “No Room at the Inn: Hospital discharges, what rights do patients & their substitute decision-makers have?” with Jane Meadus, lawyer and advocate at the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly and Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. The focus of the […]

‘One ER closure is too many’

(November 27, 2024) By: Scott Miller, CTV News London The Ontario Health Coalition brought a Trojan horse to Durham to protest health care cuts, CTV London’s Scott Miller reports. Click here for the video report

Midland ‘Trojan Horse’ event cancelled due to stormy weather

(November 28, 2024) By: Staff, MidlandToday CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), Ontario Health Coalition event had been slated for Friday afternoon On Friday afternoon, a 15-foot wooden Trojan Horse was expected to visit Midland town hall to symbolize “the duplicity of the Ontario PCs hospital services’ privatization plan.” But it turns out Trojan […]

‘Trojan Horse tour’ makes stop in Durham to shed light on ER closures

(November 27, 2024) By: Scott Miller, CTV News London A sign of contempt for the government’s healthcare decisions arrived in Durham Wednesday. A community that’s lost all its inpatient hospital beds and overnight ER hours, all within the past several months. “We need to stop this now, or I don’t think we’ll be able to […]

CUPE’s giant Trojan Horse, protest coming to Barrie City Hall tomorrow

(November 26, 2024) By: Staff, Bradford Today You might notice a giant horse in front of Barrie City Hall on Wednesday. As part of a provincewide “Trojan Horse tour,” CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE) and the Ontario Health Coalition are calling for an end to ongoing privatization of hospital surgeries and diagnostic tests. They […]

FACT SHEET, BRIEFING NOTE & VIDEOS: What is Public Medicare and how did Canadians achieve it?

(November 27, 2024) Fact Sheet The History of Public Medicare What is Public Medicare? Public Medicare is the public health care system in Canada which is funded through our taxes. When you see a doctor or visit the hospital for medically necessary services using your OHIP card, you are using Public […]

FACT SHEET: What cataract surgery patients can and cannot be charged for

(Updated as of June 12, 2026) If you have been charged for medically necessary cataract surgery and eye measurement tests, the government should reimburse you and get the money back from the person or clinic that charged you. (If you are complaining to the Ministry, cite Section 13 (3) of the Commitment to the Future […]

WEBINAR: What does OHIP cover? Which patient charges are allowed and which are not allowed?

(November 14, 2024) Anyone in Ontario can make a complaint or ask questions by calling toll-free at 1-888-662-6613 or by emailing protectpublichealthcare@ontario.ca. WEBINAR: What does OHIP cover? Which patient charges are allowed and which are not allowed? Our webinar with Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra delves into how private clinics are embedding […]

ANALYSIS & FACT CHECKER: Quick Facts & Analysis + Fact Checker: Ford government’s health care funding

(November 10, 2024) Quick Facts & Analysis What is the Ford government doing re. health funding & what it means On October 30, the Ford government released its Fall Economic Statement. With high-rotation ads everywhere (paid by taxpayers) touting the record of the Ford government, and rumours of a spring election in the air, […]

Health coalition demands answers on why home-care patients left short of vital supplies for weeks

(November 1, 2024) by: Joanna Frketich, The Hamilton Spectator The president of a medical supply company went out on deliveries in Hamilton and Niagara last weekend to talk to home-care patients about a provincewide crisis that has left them without vital medical provisions. Bayshore HealthCare confirmed that founder Stuart Cottrelle personally delivered supplies to patients […]

RELEASE: Health Coalition fully supports bill banning 2-tier clinics, increasing fines and expanding public access

(October 24, 2024) The Ontario Health Coalition is calling for Ontarians to put their full support behind a new Private Member’s Bill introduced by Liberal Health Critic Dr. Adil Shamji to be debated in the Legislature this evening. Almost a full year ago, Health Minister Sylvia Jones promised to take action to stop private clinics […]

ADVISORY: Press Conference: Court challenge to be heard Thursday re. Ford Government’s expansion & new 30-yr license for Southbridge’s Orchard Villa, for-profit long-term care with reprehensible record

(October 15, 2024) Toronto – On Thursday, a panel of judges at the Ontario Divisional court will hear a court challenge brought by the daughter of a deceased resident and the Ontario Health Coalition seeking a judicial review of the Ford government’s decision to grant an 88-bed expansion and new 30-year license for the 233-bed […]

EVENT: Trojan Horse Ontario Tour to Fight Privatization of Hospital Surgeries

(October 2, 2024) To protest the Ford government’s privatization of our public hospital services, the CUPE Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE) and Ontario Health Coalition are kicking off a Trojan Horse tour this Friday at Queen’s Park, Toronto. The Ford government is privatizing surgeries by taking public funding and staff away from public hospitals […]

RELEASE: Health care in crisis in northwestern Ontario: communities demand urgent solutions from Ford government

(September 13, 2024) Toronto/Rainy River/Thunder Bay/Emo: An unprecedented crisis in hospital, EMS, and primary care services in northwestern Ontario is unfolding. Physicians are leaving Rainy River’s hospital and clinic and the ambulance base in Emo is threatened with impending closure. The Mayor of Rainy River, the President of the District’s paramedics’ and hospital workers’ union […]

MYTH BUSTER: 10 Big Myths about Health Care Privatization

(September 9, 2024) 1. The Ford government is indeed privatizing our public health care system. It is false to claim they are not. The Ford government has tried to downplay the extent to which they are privatizing, using words like “alternative”, “independent” or “community” health care facilities instead of referring to them as private for-profit […]

BRIEFING NOTE: The Ford Government’s Plan to Privatize Ontario’s Public Hospital Services

(September 3, 2024) THE LATEST On January 16, 2023, Premier Doug Ford announced his plan to open new private for-profit day hospitals in three cities, expand other for-profit clinics and shunt tens of millions in public funding to private clinics and hospitals. The premier said that 50% of the surgeries done in our public hospitals […]

EVENT & RELEASE: Public Hearings on Protecting & Improving Local Hospitals: Community members invited to give input

(June 3, 2024) TORONTO — In response to more than 1,200 closures of emergency departments and other local hospital services over the last year, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is holding public hearings across Ontario to develop recommendations for the future of our local hospitals, including small, rural and northern community hospitals. Mid size or […]

RELEASE: Community and union leaders announce legal action, demand Ford declare a moratorium to save the Durham hospital

(May 23, 2024) Toronto, Grey Bruce – The Durham hospital, located in Grey County, dates back to 1910. Its community supported its survival through two World Wars, the Great Depression, amalgamation, and many local hospital boards and provincial governments. Now, after more than a century, it is facing a potentially fatal blow with the imminent […]

EVENT: Long-Term Care Virtual Townhall Summary

(April 23, 2024) A townhall was held to get an update from the lawyers on what is happening with the class action lawsuits against long-term care homes. Also, Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition executive director, gave a general update on long-term care. Click here for the long-term care townhall summary

RELEASE & REPORT: Illegal, Unlawful and Unethical: Case Studies of Patients Charged for Medical Care in Ontario’s Private Clinics

(April 16, 2024) Anyone in Ontario can make a complaint or ask questions by calling toll-free at 1-888-662-6613 or by emailing protectpublichealthcare@ontario.ca. Toronto, April 16, 2024 – Released today, a new report Illegal, Unlawful and Unethical: Case Studies of Patients Charged for Medical Care in Ontario’s Private Clinics, featured evidence from more than a hundred […]

RELEASE & REPORT: Fraud, criminal conviction, misrepresentation and unlawful user fees: New report exposes a “Wild West” of for-profit health care in Ottawa private clinics

(March 8, 2024) A new report released by the Ottawa and Ontario Health Coalitions contains shocking revelations about the ownership and management behind private health clinics in Ottawa. Based on a five-month investigation, Freedom of Information requests, corporate filings, interviews and court records, the report paints a picture of a dangerous and disturbing “Wild West” […]

Advocacy group accuses Ontario of trying to ‘dismantle’ public health-care system

(February 21, 2024) By: Isaac Callan, Global News A health-care advocacy group in Ontario is accusing the Ford government of deliberately underfunding public health care to benefit for-profit clinics in the province. A new report by the Ontario Health Coalition has compiled a master list of unused operating room capacity — space the organization says […]

RELEASE & REPORT: Robbing the public to build the private: The Ford government’s hospital privatization scheme

(February 21, 2024) A new report, Robbing from the public to build the private: The Ford government’s hospital privatization scheme reveals that local hospitals in every region of Ontario have operating rooms sitting idle the majority of the time. The public has funded local hospitals for more than 70 years to build operating room capacity that […]

RELEASE & REPORT: Health Coalition Exposes Significantly Higher Costs & Irregularities in Kingston Hospital Cataract Surgery Privatization: New Report

(February 15, 2024) The press release and report was released on February 15. An update with a response to statements made by the Kingston Health Sciences Centre CEO can be found below the initial release. The privatization of cataract surgeries in Kingston, Ontario, costs 56% more than if the same procedures had been done in […]

RELEASE: Families & Advocates Announce Legal Action as Ford Government Grants New Long-Term Care Licenses to Corporations with Hideous Records

(February 13, 2024) Toronto – The daughter of a deceased long-term care resident and the Ontario Health Coalition are asking the court to require the Ford government live up to their own long-term care legislation. The advocates are seeking a judicial review of the Ford government’s decision to grant an 87-bed expansion and new 30-year […]

URGENT SURVEY: Ontario Health Coalition Survey on Extra Fees in Private Clinics

(February 5, 2024) The Canada Health Act says that patients cannot be charged for medically necessary hospital and physician services, such as cataract surgeries and MRIs. Public health care is supposed to cover all Canadians equally, but sometimes private clinics charge extra fees to patients unlawfully. Private clinics also sometimes charge fees for medically unnecessary tests […]

RELEASE & REPORT: Number of Ontario hospital emergency closures soars to new record: Health Coalition demands Ford government finally take action

(December 5, 2023) Toronto – A new report, Unprecedented and Worsening: Ontario’s Local Hospital Closures 2023 released by the Ontario Health Coalition at Queen’s Park this morning, paints a stark picture of a health care system that has tipped into collapse. Across Ontario, vital hospital services, such as emergency departments, maternity and obstetrics, outpatient laboratories […]

RELEASE: Ford Government Expanded For-Profit Hospital in Violation of the Law and While Lying to the Public: Health Coalition and Democracy Watch Call for Concrete Measures to Protect the Public Interest in Wake of Revelations about Former Health Minister Lobbying for For-Profit Hospital

(November 20, 2023) Toronto—The revelation that former Health Minister Christine Elliott has registered as a lobbyist for a for-profit hospital known as Don Mills Surgical Unit, now owned by Clearpoint Health Network, has raised serious questions about ethics and conflict of interest. The Ontario Health Coalition has looked into the funding increases given to that […]

BRIEFING NOTE, ANALYSIS & SUBMISSION: Ford government’s new law (Bill 135) to further privatize home care

(November 5, 2023) Background Bill 135, the Convenient Care at Home Act has passed First and Second Reading in the Ontario Legislature. After Second Reading, bills are sent to Committees of the Legislature for public consultation. In this case, the bill has been referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy and there will be […]

REPORT & RELEASE: Report advises Ontario government to scrap private surgeries and invest in public hospitals

(November 2, 2023) Toronto – Drawing on new data from Freedom of Information requests, financial and statistical analysis, and research, a new report raises red flags about the Ford government’s privatization of our public hospitals’ core services including diagnostics and surgeries. The report, At What Cost? Ontario hospital privatization and the threat to public health […]

BRIEFING NOTE: Health care funding briefing note: putting the fall economic statement in context

(November 2, 2023) Today, the Ford government will release its fall economic statement. This briefing note is intended to give context with which to assess the claims of the government. As we write, Ontario is in the worst health care crisis in memory. The most urgent services in local public hospitals are facing repeated and […]

EVENT: Major Protest to Stop the Ford Government’s Privatization of Our Public Hospitals’ Core Services

(Updated: September 21, 2023) MAJOR PROTEST OPENING DAY OF THE ONTARIO LEGISLATURE Monday, September 25, 2023 at 12 Noon TORONTO at Queen’s Park outside the Main Legislative Building at 12 Noon THUNDER BAY at Mini Queen’s Park at South James St. at 12 Noon DRYDEN outside MPP Greg Rickford’s office, 439 Government St. at 11:30 a.m. CST (Dryden time) […]

BRIEFING NOTE: Sampling of Recent Ontario Hospital Service Closures

(September 15, 2023) The following briefing note gives a sampling of local hospital emergency, ICU, birthing and other vital service closures across Ontario in 2023. There are many more. Dr. David Savage has been tracking Ontario emergency department closures. He found 848 emergency department closures in 2022. In 2023, up until the end of August […]

OPEN LETTER: Open Letter to CMA on their private health care campaign with Globe & Mail

(September 8, 2023) Re. Canadian Medical Association/Globe and Mail Hearings on Health Care Privatization Dear Dr. Ross, We are writing with deep concern about the activities of the Canadian Medical Association in partnership with the Globe and Mail. We have seen your promotion of your “consultation” on privatization in health care. On the front of […]

UPDATE: Update on Ford government’s attempt to push through expansion and redevelopment of Orchard Villa

(June 29, 2023) Under Bill 23 the Ford government gave itself extraordinary powers to override municipal governments and force through developments. This applies to housing developments and also long-term care homes. On March 7, Southbridge, the for-profit company that owns Orchard Villa, applied for a Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) to rush through the process of […]

RELEASE: More than 400,000 Ontarians vote to stop the privatization of Ontario’s public hospitals: Health Coalition announces results of Huge People’s Referendum

(May 31, 2023) The Ontario Health Coalition announced the results of a mass community-run referendum, where Ontarians were given the opportunity to have their say on if they would like their public hospital services to be privatized to for-profit hospitals and clinics. A massive pile of ballots were delivered to the government this morning, as […]

EVENT: HUGE people’s referendum to stop hospital privatization Friday & Sat: maps & list of all vote counts/announcements

(May 25, 2023) Almost a thousand voting stations will be staffed by thousands of volunteers in a massive effort to force the Ford government to respect democratic process and input on their hospital privatization plans Vote counting & results announcement information listed here A map listing all voting stations across the province is available online […]

UPDATE: Bill 60, the Ford government’s hospital privatization bill passed final vote yesterday: Health Coalition statement & update on the fightback

(May 9, 2023) When the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) warned last spring leading into the election that the Ford government was planning to privatize surgeries and diagnostic services , Ford repeatedly denied that was his plan. Those claims are shown to be totally false with Bill 60 , the Ford government’s hospital privatization legislation passed into law yesterday. With […]

EVENT: Making a Killing: Everything you want to know about privatization of public hospitals

(May 1, 2023) Making a Killing: Everything you want to know about privatization of public hospitals Wednesday May 3 at 7 p.m. Briefing & question and answer session By request of our members and supporters, we are holding a briefing with a question and answer session on the privatization of public hospitals including: what the real-world […]

EVENT: Ontario referendum to stop Ford government’s privatization of our hospitals announced

(April 18, 2023) Ontario Health Coalition Province-Wide Community Referendum to Stop Ford Government’s Privatization of Our Public Hospitals Health Coalitions across Ontario launched a major fightback to stop the privatization of our public hospitals today. The Coalition is mounting a community-run referendum. Health Coalitions are organizing voting stations outside grocery stores, local corner stores, coffee shops, […]

RELEASE: Major step forward for elderly patients whose Charter rights are violated by Ford government’s law coercing elderly patients into long-term care homes against their will: Patient advocates file court challenge

(April 13, 2023) Toronto – The Ontario Health Coalition and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly have made a major step forward in their Charter Challenge to Bill 7, passed by the Ford government last summer. On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, the patient advocates filed a Notice of Application with the Ontario Superior Court of […]

ANALYSIS: Ontario Health Coalition Analysis of Bill 60, Your Health Act

(March 10, 2023) This legislation is ostensibly to facilitate the Ford government’s plan to expand private clinics. It replaces the Independent Health Facilities Act. Since the government already had the power to do what it announced publicly (privatize day surgeries and diagnostics from our public hospitals) under existing legislation, this part of our analysis of […]

RELEASE & BRIEFING NOTE: Patients Who Have Been Extra-Billed Thousands of Dollars in Ontario Private Clinics Join Advocates to Call Out Ford Government’s False Claims

(February 27, 2023) Toronto – Leda Raptis from Kingston was charged $2,000 for an MRI at a private clinic. She needed the MRI for open heart surgery. When she looked at the bill, the clinic said the charge was for “contrast”. Either way, the two thousand dollar charge is illegal in Ontario and in Canada. […]

RELEASE: Left unchallenged, “create a crisis and privatize” provincial schemes will destroy public health care: Health Coalition called on Trudeau to step up and show real leadership

(February 7, 2023) Toronto – For decades the Ontario Health Coalition has been on the front line of the fight to safeguard public health care against privatization and to protect patients from extra-billing. Few have followed the behaviour of the private clinics in Canada more closely. Today, the Coalition warned that the unprecedented health care […]

RELEASE: Calling Ford’s plans to privatize Ontario’s public hospital surgeries a “fatal threat” and a “terrible blow” to our public hospitals, health advocates vow major fightback

(January 16, 2023) Toronto – The Ford government’s plans to privatize our public hospitals’ vital services are a fatal threat to the core tenet of Canadian Public Medicare that extra user fees are forbidden and patients will not be faced with user charges in their time of need. Already existing private for-profit clinics routinely extra-bill […]

RELEASE: Health Coalitions warn health funding without strings is not in the public interest: Federal health dollars must come with accountability and national standards

(December 16, 2022) As Canada’s premiers and the federal NDP ramp up the pressure on the Trudeau government, Health Coalitions across Canada are demanding that any increase in public health funding be used in the public interest and not be used to privatize health care. The Health Coalitions support the call for a long-term increase […]

EVENTS: Protests & Town Halls to Save our Public Hospitals

(November 21, 2022) Protests 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 […]

RELEASE & LEGAL OPINION: Ontario Health Coalition & Advocacy Centre for the Elderly will go to court to challenge Ford government’s new law forcing elderly into long-term care homes against their choice: “an egregious violation of their Charter rights”

(November 21, 2022) Toronto –The Ontario Health Coalition and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly launched a Constitutional Challenge this morning in response to the Ford government’s new law that forces elderly hospital patients into long-term care homes against their choice. The two groups will be co-applicants to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in […]

ROUNDUP: Ontario Health Coalition’s Work on the New Bill Overriding Patients’ Right to Consent

(October 26, 2022) Please find below links to various materials the Ontario Health Coalition has produced when it comes to the new Bill 7, the legislation passed by the Ford’s government which gives new powers to force the elderly and persons with disabilities into unwanted long-term care homes without their consent. Media Releases: November 21, […]

RELEASE & BRIEFING NOTE: The Ford government lied to the public re. their privatization of public hospital services: Health Coalition demands Ford stop their privatization of our hospitals, kicks off major campaign to save our local public hospitals

(October 26, 2022) Toronto –The Ontario Health Coalition released a brief today charging that the Ford government lied to the public about its privatization of Ontario’s public hospital services. The Coalition reported that the Ford government significantly increased funding to private clinics while at the same time denying that they were expanding the private clinics. […]

REPORT & RELEASE: Ontario Hospital Crisis Province-Wide and By Community

(October 24, 2022) Toronto — Across Ontario, the hospital crisis continues to burn through the resilience of the province’s truly heroic health care staff. As the burden of infectious disease has increased, with the removal of virtually all public health measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19; the flu, other respiratory illnesses, and a severe […]

RELEASE: New report on the spread of COVID, LTC outbreaks, hospitalizations & deaths raises red flags despite the Ford government’s suppression of COVID Data

(October 21, 2022) Toronto – The Ford government has ceased regular reporting on the spread of COVID-19. Public Health no longer publishes daily and weekly epidemiologic reports and it has become steadily more difficult to get accurate numbers. Not only are the government and Public Health not reporting much of the data previously available, they […]

UPDATE: Submission to Ministry of Long-Term Care Public Consultation on New License & Expansion for Southbridge Care Homes Orchard Villa

(October 21, 2022) Submission to Ministry of Long-Term Care Public Consultation on New License & Expansion for Southbridge Care Homes Orchard Villa To: The Director under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 Ministry of Long-Term Care Capital Planning Branch 438 University Avenue, 8th Floor Toronto, Ontario M5G 2K8 Via email: LTCHomes.Licensing@ontario.ca From: Ontario Health Coalition Re: PROJECT #23-034 Orchard Villa […]

BRIEFING NOTE & QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES: Municipal Election Key Health Care Issues

(September 27, 2022) Questions for Candidates Will you commit to maintaining our municipal long-term care homes as public homes, and oppose contracting out the operation of municipal LTC homes to for-profit companies? Will you commit to funding municipal LTC homes to provide safe, quality living and caring environments, and support a minimum care standard of […]

RELEASE: Health Coalitions denounce for-profit deal by Canadian Blood Services that endangers Canada’s Blood Supply

(September 20, 2022) OTTAWA (the traditional and unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin people) – Canada’s provincial and territorial Health Coalitions and the Canadian Health Coalition call for the resignation of the leadership of the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) including the CEO and Board of Directors. This call comes after the appalling decision by CBS […]

FACT CHECKER & RELEASE: Furious at the “grotesque” ageism and violation of human rights, advocates respond to Ford government’s planned regulations to push elderly patients out of hospital

(September 15, 2022) Toronto – The Ford government has released its regulations under the euphemistically titled More Beds, Better Care Act (formerly Bill 7) today. The regulations are the details under the legislation to provide new powers to push elderly patients and people with chronic care needs out of hospitals, overriding their right to consent. […]

LETTER & RELEASE: “Rife with discrimination against the elderly,” Bill 7 prompts advocates to escalate call for Human Rights Commission investigation into systemic ageism in Ontario health policy

(August 31, 2022) Toronto, ON – At a press conference held today, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE), and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced they are escalating their call for the Ontario Human Rights Commission to launch a formal inquiry into systemic discrimination in the provision […]

FACT CHECKER & RELEASE: Ford Government’s Claims Re. Forcing Elderly Patients into Long-Term Care in Contravention of their Right to Consent

(August 25, 2022) Toronto – Here are the facts about the Ford government’s new legislation, Bill 7 – More Beds, Better Care Act, 2022, which was introduced in the Legislature last week and is currently under debate. The government has made an array of claims, some of which have been printed in major media stories, […]

RELEASE: Doug Ford’s new legislation being pushed through the Legislature gives new powers to force the elderly & persons with disabilities into substandard long-term care homes: “morally repugnant”

(August 19, 2022) Advocates and experts spoke with one voice today decrying the new law that the Ford government introduced yesterday and intends to pass within just two weeks. The new law, disingenuously titled “More Beds, Better Care Act” gives new powers to force the elderly and persons with disabilities who are waiting in hospitals […]

FACT CHECKER & RELEASE: Health Coalition response to Ford government’s plans to move seniors out of hospitals & privatize hospital diagnostics and surgeries to for-profit clinics and hospitals

(August 18, 2022) The Ford government released what it called a five-point health care plan this morning in a press conference. In summary: On COVID-19 there was nothing new. On the unprecedented staffing crisis in Ontario’s hospitals, long-term care and home care, there was another in a long string of reannouncements of plans to bring […]

VIDEO: Ford Government’s Plan to Defund & Privatize Our Public Health Care System

(May 24, 2022) There is a large for-profit health care industry banging at our door. If we don’t provide the staffing, provide the funding in our public system, there is no choice but to privatize, because people still need care. We must tell Ford and the for-profit health care industry that our public health care […]

VIDEO: Privatization of COVID-19 Vaccinations & Testing in Ontario

(May 20, 2022) One of the ways the Doug Ford government is privatizing health care is by privatizing COVID-19 vaccinations, which used to be provided by public health, and COVID-19 testing, which was handed off to for-profit companies charging more than $200 for a test. We must put an end to for-profit health care. Analysis

VIDEO: Doug Ford & The For-Profit Long-Term Care Lobby Industry

(May 19, 2022) Despite for-profit long-term care companies being responsible for a majority of the deaths in long-term care during the pandemic, there has been no accountability and care has not improved. Instead, there is a revolving door between the Ontario Conservative Party, the Ford government and the for-profit long-term care industry. We must invest […]

REPORT: Crisis Unabated: The Failure to Improve Dangerously Low Care Levels in Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes

(May 18, 2022) Click here for printable version of report found below. Summary of Findings After enormous public pressure, the Ford government committed to improving care levels in Ontario’s long-term care homes. Even though residents were dying literally by the thousands in the pandemic, the plan which is very simple and could have been forged […]

ELECTION QUESTIONS: Health Care Questions for Candidates for Ontario Provincial Election

(May 13, 2022) We have provided you with questions below for candidates who come to your door or for use in all candidates’ meetings. These questions include background and extra information for your own knowledge. Often there are time limits for questions in all candidates’ meetings. Please feel free to use these questions as a […]

VIDEO: Doug Ford’s Broken Long-Term Care Promises

(May 6, 2022) Please share widely. Analysis Despite promising to fix long-term care, the Ford government let thousands of residents die and, rather than holding operators to account, they intend to give tens of thousands of beds to for-profit companies with ghastly records of care. We want accountability for what has happened, which we’ve never […]

RELEASE: Ontario Election Health Care Primer: Health Coalition Brings Warning and Outlines Key Issues as the Writ Drops

(May 5, 2022) Toronto – As the writ was dropped for the June 2 provincial election, the Ontario Health Coalition warned against unprecedented health care privatization and called for it to be a key election issue. The Coalition also outlined a set of health care priorities for Ontarians. First, on privatization: The Ford government is […]

RELEASE: Health & legal experts call for reinstatement of masking protections as Omicron – one of the most infectious viruses known – tears through Ontario population

(May 2, 2022) Their expertise is unassailable, their message clear: in a virtual press conference this morning hosted by the Ontario Health Coalition, health and legal experts called on the Ontario government, the Chief Medical Officer of Health and local Medical Officers of Health and their Public Health Boards of Directors to do their duty […]

VIDEO: Doug Ford: Our Hospitals Are Not For Sale

(April 27, 2022) Analysis Don’t let the Doug Ford government do to our hospitals what they did to long-term care, where for-profit companies took tens of millions of dollars while residents have been left to die of dehydration, starvation, and neglect. Tell Doug Ford – and all Ontario political parties – Our Public Hospitals are […]

CAMPAIGN: Fightback Against Health Care Privatization in Ontario

(March 31, 2022) The Ontario Health Coalition and Local Health Coalitions across Ontario are building the biggest fight-back we have ever mounted against the Ford government’s unprecedented health care privatization plans. Our goal is to protect and improve our vital public health care services and stop health care privatization. We are a non-partisan public watchdog […]

RELEASE & BRIEFING NOTE: The Privatization of COVID-19 Testing in Ontario

(March 30, 2022) Click here for printable version of release Click here for printable version of briefing note Health Coalition Demands the Ford Government Stop 2–Tier Privatization of COVID–Testing& Restore Access to Public Testing Urgently as the Pandemic’s 6th Wave Gains Amplitude Toronto – Step by step, the Ford government has been privatizing PCR […]

OP-ED: Doug Ford’s government is quietly privatizing health care

posted March 16, 2022

(March 15, 2022) By: Nancy Olivieri, Michael Hurley, Natalie Mehra Words matter. Recently, Health Minister Christine Elliott announced the expansion of private hospitals in Ontario. Missed this? So did many of us, possibly because of the words she selected: “we can let independent health facilities operate private hospitals.” That offhand reference to “independent health facilities” […]

EVENTS & ACTIONS: Become a Public Medicare Defender Today

(March 13, 2023) We are calling on all Ontarians to help fight against the privatization. Become a Public Medicare Defender today to force Doug Ford to fix the crisis in our public hospital system and stop privatization. To sign up to become a Public Medicare Defender, fill in the form found below the slideshow on […]

EVENTS: Stop Ford’s Health Privatization: List of Emergency Local Summits

(March 11, 2022) LOCAL SUMMITS TO STOP PRIVATIZATION Health Care Privatization, Cuts to Long-Term Care, Hospitals, Home Care & more It Stops Now! We will not let the Ford Government expand private hospitals. We will not accept the privatization of18,000 LTC beds for the next 30-yrs. We will not let them privatize the last remaining public parts […]

FACT SHEET: The Privatization of Ontario’s Public Hospital Services

(March 8, 2022) The Ford government’s privatization plans The Ford government has continued plans to privatize health care by contracting private facilities to perform surgeries and other procedures such as diagnostic imaging. Taking it further, on Tuesday, February 1, the Ford government announced its plans to allow private clinics (called “Independent Health Facilities”) to operate private hospitals. […]

FACT SHEET: Why Stop the Privatization of Long-Term Care

(March 8, 2022) How Long-Term Care is Being Privatized There have been two big initiatives to privatize LTC in Ontario in recent decades: In 1998, Ontario’s Conservative Mike Harris government built 20,000 new long-term care beds and allocated the majority of them to for-profit corporations, including large chain companies. This tipped the balance from a […]

FACT SHEET: Two-Tier Health Care and Private Clinics

(March 8, 2022) Canada Health Act Principles The 1984 Canada Health Act is rooted in the core principles of equity and compassion. Its primary objective is “to protect, promote, and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.” The Canada […]

FACT SHEET: Home Care Privatization

(March 8, 2022) The privatization of home care in Ontario Home care provides individuals with complex medical conditions care in the comfort of their homes and enables the frail elderly to live at home as long as possible. Under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health (MOH), home care services may be government-funded but are […]

JUST THE FACTS: Facts About Health Care, Cuts & Privatization

(March 1, 2022) Here are fact sheets on health care cuts & privatization, with sources for all data: Why Not Privatize Our Public Health Care Services Fightback to Save Public Health Care & Stop Privatization Long-Term Care Privatization Home Care Privatization Privatization of COVID-19 Testing in Ontario Fast Facts on Health Care Funding in Ontario

RELEASE: Our governments cannot negotiate away public health measures: Flooding of 911 lines, blocking of ambulances & other reckless endangerment of public health must result in consequences, safety must be restored

(February 10, 2022) Toronto—The Ottawa police reported today that their 911 emergency and police phone lines are being flooded in a “concerted effort” by protesters, warning this is endangering peoples’ lives. Yesterday the Manitoba RCMP reported that a 74-year-old male was stuck in a demonstration convoy on Highway 3 last week as he was attempting […]

EVENT: Emergency Summit to Kick-off Campaign to Stop Health Care Privatization and Austerity

(February 9, 2022) Last week Doug Ford’s Health Minister announced that she is bringing in private hospitals. They are midstream in privatizing 18,000 LTC beds for the next 30-yrs. They passed legislation to privatize the last remaining public parts of home care. They are privatizing vaccines and COVID-testing, and more. They are planning billions of dollars […]

RELEASE: Health Care System Besieged by COVID-19: Health Coalition demands Ford answer for lack of action

(January 20, 2022) Toronto – There are more than 4,000 patients with COVID-19 in Ontario’s hospitals, an all time high for this pandemic. Staffing levels across hospitals, long-term care and home care are catastrophic. Yet there is still no response from the Ford government except to talk about lifting public health measures. There are 594 […]

RELEASE: Emergency Measures Needed to Address the Health Care Staffing Crisis

(January 14, 2022) Ontario’s hospitals, long-term care (LTC) and home care services face critical and growing staffing crises. Our province’s health care system is not on the brink of crisis, it is in crisis. It is not an overstatement to describe a number of facilities and services as being in staffing collapse. The Ontario government […]

RELEASE & BRIEFING NOTE: Ontario Health Coalition Demands Answers from Ford Government on Long-Term Care & Hospital Crisis

(January 13, 2022) Toronto — The Ontario Health Coalition issued a statement today demanding that the Ford government explain what it is going to do about the spiralling crisis in Ontario’s long-term care homes and hospitals, and answer for their lack of preparedness. “The failures at this point in the pandemic are inexcusable,” said Natalie […]

OP-ED: Doug Ford’s new long-term-care legislation, Bill 37, tolls for all of us

posted January 4, 2022

(January 4, 2022) By: Nancy Olivieri, Michael Hurley, Vivian Stamatopoulos and Natalie Mehra Hope to live out your old age in dignity and comfort? Think again, after Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s “new” long-term-care legislation, Bill 37, was rushed through with furtive speed, just before the holidays. Ushering in a series of deadly amendments to the […]

RELEASE: Ford government’s response on long-term care is a travesty: “New” LTC bill to be pushed through imminently

(December 6, 2021) Toronto – The so-called “new” long-term care legislation introduced by the Ford government is scheduled for third and final reading in the legislature today and it will be passed by the Conservative majority likely today or tomorrow. The bill, which is really just a series of amendments to the existing Long-Term Care […]

BRIEFING NOTE: The Horrifying Truth About For-Profit Long-Term Care Homes

(December 1, 2021) Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic As of November 29, 2021, 4,023 residents died as a result of COVID-19 alone. Others died of malnutrition, dehydration, and neglect due to lack of care as COVID-19 rampaged through their long-term care (LTC) homes. Many of the COVID-19 related deaths in LTC homes are also associated […]

SUBMISSION: Submission to the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly on Bill 37

(November 29, 2021) Introduction When assessing this legislation, which is not new, but rather a set of amendments to the existing Act, the images of the people who have suffered so egregiously in long-term care have haunted our thoughts: Diane Colangelo, who shakes and weeps as she describes her mom who weighed, she said, […]

RELEASE: Ford Government is Awarding Thousands of Long-Term Care Beds to For-Profit Chains with Ghastly Records of Death and Suffering: New Coalition Report

(November 29, 2021) Toronto— The Ford government has been awarding tens of thousands of long-term care beds to for-profit operators and 30-year licenses paid by Ontario taxpayers. The Ontario Health Coalition warned the Ford government is on the cusp of privatizing an entire new generation of long-term care beds unless public outrage stops them. The […]

REPORT: Public Money, Private Profit: The Ford Government & the Privatization of the Next Generation of Ontario’s Long-Term Care

(November 29, 2021) Click here for the full report with a list of all the new bed licenses. A summary of the report can be found below. ——- Introduction & Key Findings After watching horror-struck as among the worst death rates in the world devastated Ontario’s long-homes during the pandemic, Ontarians were promised fundamental change. […]

EVENT: Emergency Summit on Health Care Privatization

(November 11, 2021) To view the recorded livestream of the health care privatization summit, click here. IT STOPS NOW! EMERGENCY SUMMIT ON HEALTH CARE PRIVATIZATION. Urgent Call for Ontarians who want to safeguard & improve our public health care for people not for profit. When: Wednesday November 17 at 7 p.m How to Join: Virtual […]

OPEN LETTER: Urgent Letter to Ontario MPPs Regarding the New Long-Term Care Act

(November 8, 2021) Dear Members of Provincial Parliament, We are writing to request that you do not support or facilitate any plan to drive through the “new” long-term care bill with undemocratic speed. We are asking that there be full public hearings across Ontario on this legislation. Bill 37 Providing More Care, Protecting Seniors, and […]

RELEASE & ANALYSIS: Health Coalition Quick Initial Analysis of the Ford Government’s New LTC Act

(October 28, 2021) Toronto – The Ford government has gone to extreme lengths to brand this as a new LTC Act. It is not a new Act. It is almost clause by clause the existing Act. What improvements that could have and should have happened are far more than the changes that they have made. […]

RELEASE: Coalition Responds to Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips’ Announcement Cutting Through the PR: No Commitment to Reinstate Annual Comprehensive Inspections

(October 26, 2021) Toronto – It has been a year-and-a-half since CBC exposed that the Ford government cancelled the annual surprise inspections of long-term care homes after it took office in 2018 and 17 months since Premier Ford promised to reinstate those comprehensive inspections. Yet today’s announcement from the Ford government’s Long-Term Care Minister Rod […]

EVENT: OHC Long-Term Care Protest Round Up – Pics & Summaries from Across Ontario!

(October 19, 2021) Ontario Health Coalition’s Long-Term Care Protest Round Up Pictures & Summaries from our Day of Action Across the Province on October 4 “Enough Suffering, Care Can’t Wait!”– the slogan rang out in town after town across Ontario. More than a thousand concerned citizens gathered outside MPPs Offices, City Halls, Parks and busy […]

BLOG: If we do not protest that nothing has changed in long-term care, who are we as a society?

posted October 1, 2021

(October 1, 2021) It has been more than a year since the military report exposed, to the horror of Canadians, the state of Ontario’s long-term care (LTC). The report lent credence to decades of work by the Ontario Health Coalition exposing insufficient care, safety issues and lack of accountability. Despite massive media coverage through the pandemic, and despite promises […]

EVENT: Let’s Make it HUGE: Cross-Province on October 4, 12 pm RISE UP for LTC!

ONE WEEK AWAY #RiseupforLTC Monday October 4, 12 p.m. CROSS-ONTARIO LONG-TERM CARE PROTESTS NO MORE SUBSTANDARD CARE As the Ontario Legislature opens on October 4, let’s set the message for the next session. No more broken promises. No more substandard care. We demand real action now! With the new opening date of the legislature […]

RELEASE: “Unreasonable and Contrary to Law”: Legal Opinion on New 30-Year License & Expansion at For-Profit LTC Orchard Villa Coalition & Families Call on Ford Government to Respond

(September 1, 2021) Toronto/Durham: The Ontario Health Coalition was joined by The Families of Orchard Villa today demanding a response from the Ford government regarding their opposition to a proposal to give a new 30-year license to rebuild and an 87-bed expansion to Southbridge, the for-profit long-term care home operator of the 233-bed home whose […]

LEGAL OPINION: Proposal from Southbridge Care Homes Inc. re Orchard Villa in Pickering, Ontario

(September 1, 2021) Click here for full legal opinion. A summary of the legal opinion can be found below. Click here for press conference releasing the legal opinion. Click here for media release. The Ministry of Long-Term Care is reviewing a proposal from Southbridge Care Homes Inc. (“Southbridge”) for a 30-year license to redevelop, expand […]

RELEASE: Provincial Health Coalitions Put Federal Parties on Notice: Canadians Demand Real Action to Fix Long-Term Care

(August 19, 2021) (Canada-wide) – With a federal election called for September 20, provincial Health Coalitions across Canada are putting all federal political parties on notice. The federal government could have already set real national standards for long-term care in legislation or an emergency federal-provincial-territorial funding accord with sufficient funding attached to leverage real change. […]

OPEN LETTER: Ontario Health Coalition Open Letter to LTC Minister Rod Phillips On For-Profit LTC Home Orchard Villa

(July 27, 2021) Hon. Rod Phillips Minister of Long-Term Care Room 436 Main Legislative Building, Queen’s Park Toronto, ON M7A 1A8 By email: rod.phillips@pc.ola.org Dear Minister Rod Phillips, We are writing today to urgently insist that you extend the deadline for the decision regarding the issuance of a new license and expansion to for-profit […]

LOCAL HEALTH INTEGRATION NETWORKS EASY ACCESS LIST: Major Local Health Integration Network Reports, Analyses, Backgrounders, Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes & Media Releases

This page is continually updated. On this page you can find a roundup of Ontario Health Coalition Local Health Integration Networks: Reports & Analyses Backgrounders, Facts Sheets & Briefing Notes Media Releases Reports/Analyses Backgrounders/Fact Sheets/Briefing Notes Media Releases

ONTARIO BUDGETS EASY ACCESS LIST: Major Ontario Budget Reports, Analyses, Backgrounders, Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes & Media Releases

This page is continually updated. On this page you can find a roundup of Ontario Health Coalition Ontario Budget: Reports & Analyses Backgrounders, Facts Sheets & Briefing Notes Media Releases Reports/Analyses Backgrounders/Fact Sheets/Briefing Notes Media Releases

NATIONAL ISSUES / FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL RELATIONS EASY ACCESS LIST: Major National Issues / Federal-Provincial Relations Reports, Analyses, Backgrounders, Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes & Media Releases

This page is continually updated. On this page you can find a roundup of Ontario Health Coalition National Issues / Federal-Provincial Relations: Reports & Analyses Backgrounders, Facts Sheets & Briefing Notes Media Releases Reports/Analyses Backgrounders/Fact Sheets/Briefing Notes Media Releases

CUTS & RESTRUCTURING EASY ACCESS LIST: Major Cuts + Restructuring Reports, Analyses, Backgrounders, Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes & Media Releases

This page is continually updated. On this page you can find a roundup of Ontario Health Coalition Cuts + Restructuring: Reports & Analyses Backgrounders, Facts Sheets & Briefing Notes Media Releases Reports/Analyses Backgrounders/Fact Sheets/Briefing Notes Media Releases

RETIREMENT HOMES EASY ACCESS LIST: Major Retirement Home Reports, Analyses, Backgrounders, Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes & Media Releases

This page is continually updated. On this page you can find a roundup of Ontario Health Coalition Retirement Homes: Reports & Analyses Backgrounders, Facts Sheets & Briefing Notes Media Releases Reports/Analyses Backgrounders/Fact Sheets/Briefing Notes Media Releases

TAXES EASY ACCESS LIST: Major Tax Reports, Analyses, Backgrounders, Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes & Media Releases

This page is continually updated. On this page you can find a roundup of Ontario Health Coalition Taxes: Reports & Analyses Backgrounders, Facts Sheets & Briefing Notes Media Releases Reports/Analyses Backgrounders/Fact Sheets/Briefing Notes Media Releases

COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) EASY ACCESS LIST: Major COVID-19 Reports, Analyses, Backgrounders, Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes, Media Releases, List of Assessment Centres & Additional Resources

On this page you can find a roundup of Ontario Health Coalition Covid-19: Reports & Analyses Backgrounders, Facts Sheets & Briefing Notes Media Releases List of Assessment Centres Additional Resources Reports/Analyses Backgrounders/Fact Sheets/Briefing Notes Media Releases List of Assessment Centres Additional Resources

BLOG: A personal note as I’m leaving to protest one of the worst LTC companies today

posted July 14, 2021

(July 14, 2021) After what we have seen in the last sixteen months, on a very personal level, I can’t let this happen without doing everything in my power to stop it. If you don’t mind, I thought I’d share a few thoughts with you. Quietly the Doug Ford government is proposing to give new 30-year […]

EVENT: Large Crowd Expected to Protest Doug Ford’s Plans to Reward Orchard Villa Long-Term Care Home with Horrific Record a New 30-Year License & Expansion

(July 13, 2021) Click here for a petition to stop the plan to give a new 30-year license & an expansion of 87 more LTC beds to Orchard Villa. Pickering/Durham – Rain or shine, outraged families and community members will be outside Orchard Villa, a for-profit long-term care home in which more than 200 residents […]

REPORT: Long-Term Care Survey Report Released by Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition, Northumberland Health Coalition, and the Peterborough Health Coalition

(June 22, 2021) Introduction We are here to discuss the problems in Long Term care because of an anonymous survey completed by front-line workers within Long-Term Care workplaces in Kawartha Lakes-Peterborough-Northumberland regions. Long-Term Care Homes is the term now used for nursing homes, charitable homes, and municipal homes for the aged. We are not talking […]

EVENT: MAKE REVERA PUBLIC – Building Our Momentum

(June 17, 2021) June 23 update: A recording of the Town Hall meeting can be found here. A virtual Town Hall Meeting Tuesday, June 22nd, 7:00pm – 8:30pm EDT. Register HERE Since it’s launch in May 2020, the campaign to ‘Make Revera Public’ has been growing and gaining strength. As Revera’s ownership by the federal […]

RELEASE & BRIEFING NOTE: A Critically Important Warning in New Financial Accountability Office Report: Ford Government’s Long-Term Care Plan is a House of Cards

(May 27, 2021) Toronto – The new report on long-term care from Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office “FAO” supports what the Ontario Health Coalition has been warning about and more. In the neutral language of accounting, it highlights that there is no actual plan to fund needed health care services in the Ford government’s budget. It […]

REPORT: Investing in Care, Not Profit: Recommendations to Transform Long-Term Care in Ontario

(May 20, 2021) A summary of the report and the list of recommendations can be found below. Click here for the full report. Click here for media release. **A group of nine eminent policy experts are weighing in today on one of the most urgent policy debates in our province and our country. They are calling […]

RELEASE: ‘Total Disrespect’: LTC Residents, Families & Staff Incensed that Premier Ford Dodged Question Period Today While Hundreds Waited for Commitments to Improve Care

(May 18, 2021) Toronto –More than 570 families, residents, staff and supporters registered to virtually fill the galleries of the Ontario Legislature for Question Period today. Thousands more watched on the Ontario Health Coalition’s Facebook livestream. They came to hear the Ford government answer their questions and demands for vital improvements to long-term care. However, […]

EVENT: Pack the Public Galleries of the Ontario Legislature

(May 11, 2021) Outraged at the Ford government’s response on Long-Term Care Tuesday May 18 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PACK THE PUBLIC GALLERIES of the ONTARIO LEGISLATURE (virtually) Use the hashtag #FordFailedSeniors We can’t fill the Legislature physically during the shutdown but we can organize thousands of Ontarians to pack the Public Galleries virtually for Question Period. […]

RELEASE, SUMMARY & ANALYSIS: Ontario Health Coalition Summary & Analysis of Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission Final Report

(May 5, 2021) A media release and the Ontario Health Coalition’s full summary & analysis of Ontario’s Long-Term COVID-19 Commission final report can be found below. Coalition Outraged at Ford Government Response to Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission: “Total Failure in Leadership, no Conscience” Toronto – Premier Doug Ford returned to the Legislature today after being […]

RELEASE: “We are outraged”: Health Coalition slams Ford government’s response to Auditor General on LTC, No responsibility taken for the among the worst death rates in the world

(April 29, 2021) The Minister of Long-Term Care’s response to yesterday’s Auditor General’s long-term care report has left LTC families and advocates livid, reported the Ontario Health Coalition. Minister Fullerton, who has never taken responsibility for the almost 4,000 residents and staff who have died from COVID-19 in Ontario’s LTC homes, claimed that the government […]

ALL REPORTS: Ontario Health Coalition’s Response to the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission

(April 29, 2021) Please find below links to various materials the Ontario Health Coalition has produced when it comes to the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission. Ontario Health Coalition Reports to the Commission Our final report to the Commission (February 16, 2021) Our interim report to the Commission (December 17, 2020) Ontario Health Coalition responses to […]

RELEASE: Ontario Auditor General Report on COVID-19 in Ontario’s LTC Homes Supports Longstanding Calls for Real Change

(April 28, 2021) Toronto – Ontario’s Auditor General released a 107-page report today assessing the province’s response to COVID-19 in long-term care homes, listing a litany of problems that contributed to the lack of preparedness and inadequate management of the pandemic in the homes. Major issues highlighted in the report include: overcrowded homes, offloading of […]

RELEASE: OHC Raises Alarm About Ford Government’s New Emergency Order Transferring Hospital ALC Patients Without Consent into LTC and Retirement Homes

(April 28, 2021) Toronto – The Ontario Health Coalition, which has for decades advocated for an end to hospital cuts and an expansion of capacity in our public hospitals and long-term care homes, reacted with shock and opposition to today’s new emergency order made by the Ford government that will enable forced transfers of patients […]

EVENT: Demand Our Federal and Provincial Governments Set National Standards to Improve Long-Term Care

(April 22, 2021) Join the National Day of Action Tuesday, April 27, 2021 HOW YOU CAN JOIN: The Day of Action will roll across Canada through the different time zones. On Tuesday April 27 Join our Facebook livestream in Ontario at 12:00 p.m. here: https://www.facebook.com/ontariohealth Or join the Facebook livestream at https://www.facebook.com/Canadians4LTC to watch the rolling livestreams hosted by […]

RESOURCES & ANALYSIS: COVID-19 Resources & Analysis of the Ford Government’s Response

This page contains the following information: Tracking report on COVID-19 outbreaks in health care settings Tracking report on COVID-19 outbreaks in non-health care settings List of COVID-19 assessment centres COVID-19 roundups Additional resources Media releases, statements, & campaigns Analysis & backgrounder of Ontario’s March 25 economic statement Tracking Report on COVID-19 Outbreaks in Health […]

RELEASE: Record Case Numbers, COVID-19 Third Wave Emergency: Ontarians Need Clearer Message, Stronger Protections- Coalition

(April 12, 2021) Toronto — Yesterday was the worst day for the spread of the pandemic so far. In one 24-hour period, 4,456 Ontarians were diagnosed with COVID-19. In that single day, 21 lives were lost to COVID-19. The 3rd wave is devastating, deadly, and it is overwhelming our health care system. Yesterday’s 4,456 new […]

REPORT: Briefing Report: Investigating Real Registered Nurse Staffing Levels in Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes

(April 7, 2021) While acuity levels in Ontario’s LTC homes have risen for decades, daily hands-on care levels have been generally static and even have declined over the last 14 years. Shortages of daily hands-on care staff, including RNs and PSWs were significant and problematic before the pandemic, but have worsened through the COVID-19 pandemic. […]

RELEASE: Health Coalition’s New Report Tracks Alarming Spread of COVID-19 in Ontario’s Third Wave: Hardest Hit Industries

(March 30, 2021) As the curve of the third wave rises steeply, the Ontario Health Coalition released its new report today Ontario’s Reopening and the Third Wave: The Spread of COVID-19 in Workplaces & Schools tracking the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces, schools and childcare through February and March to date. On March 28, Ontario […]

REPORT: Ontario’s Reopening and the Third Wave: The Spread of COVID-19 in Workplaces & Schools – Data updated to March 13

(March 29, 2021) Click here for full version of the non-health care outbreaks report, which includes a list of archived outbreak entries. A summary of the report can be found below. Introduction & Analysis Our last report showed that the Ontario “Stay at Home” order was effective in limiting transmission of COVID-19 in non-essential businesses. […]

RELEASE: Ontario Budget: Health Coalition is Watching for Sufficient Health Funding, Strings Attached in For-Profit LTC & A Stop to the Ford Government’s Privatization of Health Care

(March 24, 2021) Toronto – The Health Coalition said today that the funding numbers for health care in the budget are going to look huge of course, due to the pandemic, but the Coalition will be watching to make sure that funding is indeed enough. Equally important to the amount of funding, are strings attached […]

RELEASE, BRIEFING NOTE & LEGAL OPINION: Advocates Representing More Than 1 Million Canadians Call For National Standards to Improve Quality, Accountability and Take Profit Out of Long-Term Care

(March 22, 2021) Click here for the legal opinion on national standards. The media release and briefing note can be found below. Legal Opinion on National Standards Media Release Ottawa/Across Canada – Today, advocates representing more than a million Canadians came together to demand that the federal government and provinces work together to establish national […]

LETTER & EVENTS: Call for Human Rights Inquiry Into Systemic Discrimination Against the Elderly in Ontario Hospitals and Long-Term Care

(March 16, 2021) Click here for a link to the letter to the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner. The Ontario Health Coalition, the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly & CUPE/OCHU are calling on the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner to conduct a formal Inquiry into the human rights discrimination against the elderly in access to and levels […]

RELEASE & REPORT: Almost 4,000 Dead in Long-Term Care as We Approach End of Wave 2: Wave 2 Deaths Exceed Wave I

(March 12, 2021) Toronto – As the devastation of the second wave of COVID-19 abates, we are left with certainty that Ontario failed to adequately prepare its health care setting despite months of warning. The Ontario Health Coalition has been tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in health care settings since mid-March, and released a new report today […]

REPORT: Tracking the Spread of COVID-19: Large Outbreaks in Health Care Settings Summary & Report: Over Two Thousand Dead in Long-Term Care as We Approach End of Wave 2 – Data updated to March 3

(March 12, 2021) Click here for full version of the health care outbreaks report with a list of all outbreaks. A summary of the report can be found below. Analysis: Status of Current Large Health Care Outbreaks Since our last update February 9 and as measured […]

REPORT: The Spread of COVID-19 Pre- and Post- Winter Lockdown in Ontario Workplaces & Schools – Data updated to January 30

(February 22, 2021) Click here for full version of the non-health care outbreaks report, which includes a list of archived outbreak entries. A summary of the report can be found below. Introduction Since our last update in the beginning of December, the Ford Government implemented a stricter province wide lockdown. These measures went into effect […]

RELEASE: OHC Responds to Ford Government’s PSW Announcement with Incredulity: 373 PSWs for Long-Term Care Nowhere Near What is Needed

(February 22, 2021) Toronto –Today the Ford government announced funding to train 373 new long-term care PSWs in Lanark and Renfrew, North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener, London and Burlington. This number of PSWs would not be enough to improve care in one middle-sized town, let alone across nine regions encompassing half […]

RELEASE & REPORT: The Spread of COVID-19 Pre- and Post- Winter Lockdown in Ontario Workplaces & Schools

(February 22, 2021) Toronto— The Ontario Health Coalition released its new report today tracking the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces, schools and childcare prior to the stricter lockdown and since, as well as the spread of the virus in the general population, The Spread of COVID-19 Pre- and Post- Winter Lockdown in Ontario Workplaces & […]

REPORT: Tracking the Spread of COVID-19: Large Outbreaks in Health Care Settings Summary & Report: Second Wave in Long-Term Care Infections & Deaths have Surpassed First Wave – Data updated to February 9

(February 17, 2021) Click here for full version of the health care outbreaks report with a list of all outbreaks. A summary of the report can be found below. Analysis: Status of Current Large Health Care Outbreaks Since our last update January 19, the large outbreaks (as defined by >10 […]

RELEASE: COVID-19 Health Care Outbreaks are Still Fatally High: Long-Term Care Deaths Surpass Wave I & COVID-19 Infections 50% More than Wave I

(February 17, 2021) Toronto – The results of the Ford government’s inaction prior to the winter holidays are in, and the second wave of COVID-19 now has 50% more long-term care cases than the first wave. The Ontario Health Coalition has been tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in health care settings since mid-March, and released a new […]

OP-ED: Not ending private long-term care would be a deadly mistake

posted February 11, 2021

(February 11, 2021) On February 1, The Toronto Star published an opinion column titled “Ending private long-term care would be an expensive mistake.” Both on the facts and the ethics we disagree. “Resident mortality has been more common in privately owned homes,” begins the op-ed by Dr. Bob Bell. This detached language obscures the painful […]

RELEASE: Ontario Health Coalition Releases Tracking of UK Variant COVID-19 As COVID-19 U.K. Variant Spreads Ford Government Can Not Fail Us Again: Stronger Enforced Public Health Measures Are Missing

(February 10, 2021) Toronto – The Ontario Health Coalition has tracked all the cases of the U.K. variant (B. 1.1.7) for which we can find public information. The Coalition released the data today with a call for the Ford government to take fast action to protect Ontarians. The spread of the variant in Ontario is […]

RELEASE: Health Coalition Calls on Ford Government to Stop For-Profit Long-Term Care Chain Companies from Banning Essential Caregivers: COVID-19

(February 8, 2021) Toronto/Sudbury – The Ontario Health Coalition has been hearing from family members of loved ones in long-term care homes who are being stopped from getting into the homes to provide support and care for their loved ones. This is happening in a range of long-term care homes across Ontario, and the Coalition […]

Email Your Local MPP and Premier Doug Ford to Take Action Now and Save our Seniors

EVENT: PROTEST: Ontario’s Long-Term Care Crisis

(January 25, 2021) Printable Save Our Seniors posters can be found below. To email your local MPP and Premier Doug Ford to take action now and Save our Seniors, click here. To view a recording of the live-stream protest on Facebook (no login required), click here. ———— PROTEST: ONTARIO’S LONG-TERM CARE CRISIS Join mass live-stream […]

RELEASE: Health Coalitions call for Federal Leadership to Defend Public Health Care

(January 25, 2021) (Ottawa) Seven health coalitions, representing concerned Canadians from PEI to British Columbia, are calling for stronger federal action on health care ahead of Monday’s opening of Parliament. Canada’s universal, public health care system requires federal vision and leadership. Health coalitions across Canada recognize the federal government’s extraordinary contribution of resources and support […]

RELEASE: Ontario Long-Term Care COVID-19 Crisis: 100 Organizations Send Clear Message to Premier Ford, This is an Emergency, We Need Action Now

(January 22, 2021) Click here for printable version of the release found below. Click here for a video of the press conference. Toronto – 100 organizations representing more than one million families of loved ones in long-term care, residents, care workers, health professionals, advocacy groups, seniors’ groups and community groups held a press conference today […]

REPORT: Shocking Number of Long-Term Care Homes with Majority of Residents Infected – Data updated to January 19

(January 22, 2021) Click here for full version of the health care outbreaks report with a list of all outbreaks. A summary of the report can be found below. Having become alarmed at how many long-term care homes have COVID-19 outbreaks that are out of control in which a significant proportion of the residents have […]

REPORT: Wave 2 Continues to Devastate Long-Term Care, Far Surpassing the 1st Wave – Data updated to January 19

(January 22, 2021) Click here for full version of the health care outbreaks report with a list of all outbreaks. A summary of the report can be found below. The second wave of COVID-19 in Ontario’s long-term care homes has now far […]

RESOURCES: Briefing for Long-Term Care Families: Access for Visitors and Essential Caregivers

(January 14, 2021) A briefing for long-term care families about access to homes for visitors and essential caregivers took place on January 13, 2021. A video recording of the meeting can be found below and via the link here. Analysis Long-term care resources *Note: These resources are for long-term care only. For retirement home resources, […]