Several groups are holding a “Building the Resistance” rally outside MPP Vic Fedeli’s Main Street East office on Tuesday afternoon.
Henri Giroux, President of the North Bay and District Labour Council says they’re concerned about the direction the provincial government is taking, only nine months after it was elected.
“When we put pressure on the government, most of the time they back down,” he says.”If we sit around and don’t do anything they’re just going to continue to do what they’re doing. We noticed that with education and Bill 28, they backed down at the end.”
Giroux says they have a variety of concerns including Greenbelt development and the government’s plans to open some healthcare tests and procedures to private clinics.
“Right now they’re saying there’s a big backlog, so let’s open the Emergency [department] longer hours and let’s make sure we get caught up,” he says. “They even said after it’s caught up they’re going to continue to do what they’re doing, so it’s privatization.”
Giroux also says they want the government to put it in writing that Ontarians would be paying with their OHIP card and not a credit card.
He says the rally coincides with the same day MPPs are returning to Queen’s Park saying a lot of damage can be done between now and the next provincial election.
“It’s to let the government know that we’re not just going to allow them to do whatever they want and then try and defeat them in three and a half years.”
The rally takes place from 4 pm to 5 pm.
MyNorthBayNow.com reached out to Fedeli for a statement and was provided the following response:
“Since our government was first elected in 2018, we have invested in numerous sectors to pull our province out of 15 years of neglect. From creating 600,000 new jobs and hiring 60,000 new nurses, to enabling pharmacists to prescribe medication for 13 of the most common ailments and building more affordable housing across this province, we are working hard to strengthen our economy and ensure Ontario is the best place to live, invest and grow. We’ve also lowered the cost of doing business by $7 billion annually to make Ontario competitive, and allow businesses to thrive. In doing so, we have attracted $17 billion in transformative investments by global automakers and suppliers of electric vehicle batteries and battery materials, and helped companies invest more than $132 million in re-shoring efforts, creating more than 780 new good-paying jobs.
Our government is bringing back the Northeastern Passenger Rail, bolstering our NOHFC funding to bring more jobs to Nipissing and unlocking the potential of Northern Ontario’s critical minerals to connect the North with the manufacturing might of the South. We will continue to build a stronger and more prosperous Ontario.”
