{"id":31495,"date":"2026-06-03T11:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T15:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/?p=31495"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:52:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T15:52:34","slug":"public-healthcare-rally-challenges-ford-governments-funding-shift-to-private-clinics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/public-healthcare-rally-challenges-ford-governments-funding-shift-to-private-clinics\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Healthcare Rally Challenges Ford Government\u2019s Funding Shift to Private Clinics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(June 2, 2026) By: Fred Alvarado Duron, Frequency News<\/p>\n<p><em>Thousands gather at Queen\u2019s Park, warning that hospital deficits and growing privatization threaten access to care across Ontario.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On May 28, public health care was at the centre of a province-wide march and rally at Queen\u2019s Park, where thousands of healthcare workers, patients, seniors, union members, and community advocates gathered to oppose the Ontario government\u2019s continued expansion of for-profit healthcare services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra challenged what she described as a misleading narrative around the growth of private clinics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe 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\u2019s doing,\u201d Mehra told the crowd. \u201cThey\u2019re privatizing our hospitals. And unless we fight, we will lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ontario Health Coalition Research and campaigns coordinator Alanna Kong shared examples of patients being charged significant fees at private clinics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery day we get calls and emails from patients, often seniors, because they\u2019ve been charged illegally thousands of dollars in private clinics,\u201d Kong said. \u201cWhat we need is a properly funded public health care system, and it needs to be restored.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rally also featured personal stories from patients. One speaker described how her husband was required to pay additional fees connected to cataract surgery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe had no choice,\u201d she said. \u201cIf he wanted the surgery, he had to sign up for the payments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles joined demonstrators and praised the turnout from across the province.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have come from every corner of Ontario to send a message to Doug Ford that our public health care system is not for sale,\u201d Stiles said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interim Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser also voiced concerns about growing barriers to care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToo many people have to use their credit card instead of their health card,\u201d Fraser said. \u201cThat\u2019s simply wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the afternoon, participants chanted, \u201cStop the privatization of our hospitals and public health care,\u201d while organizers urged residents to contact their elected representatives and advocate for greater investment in public healthcare services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Regent Park, Moss Park, Corktown, and other downtown east communities, the future of Ontario\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.frequencynews.ca\/news\/public-healthcare-rally-challenges-ford-governments-funding-shift-to-private-clinics\/\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">Click here for the original article<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(June 2, 2026) By: Fred Alvarado Duron, Frequency News Thousands gather at Queen\u2019s 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\u2019s Park, where thousands of healthcare workers, patients, seniors, union members, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ohc-in-the-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Public Healthcare Rally Challenges Ford Government\u2019s Funding Shift to Private Clinics - Ontario Health Coalition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"(June 2, 2026) By: Fred Alvarado Duron, Frequency News Thousands gather at Queen\u2019s Park, warning that hospital deficits and growing privatization threaten\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/public-healthcare-rally-challenges-ford-governments-funding-shift-to-private-clinics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Public Healthcare Rally Challenges Ford Government\u2019s Funding Shift to Private Clinics - 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