Health coalitions across Ontario, including here at home, are holding a citizen-run referendum on public versus private health care.
Henri Giroux, Chair of the North Bay Health Coalition, says voting will take place at the end of May.
“The question will be ‘do you want our public hospital service to be privatized to a for-profit hospital or clinic?’ Yes or no,” he says.
The referendum is a response to legislation tabled in February to expand for-profit clinics and hospitals to take on surgeries and diagnostic procedures typically done at public hospitals, something the province claims will make it easier and quicker to access care.
Giroux says with a government majority the bill is expected to pass at Queen’s Park this week or early next week.
Despite that, he says they can’t just give up.
“Can you imagine our kids, grandkids and great-grandkids asking us, ‘Dad, Grandpa, you didn’t do anything? You had all that and you didn’t do anything’. It’s very important for them, for all of us to make sure we didn’t just give up,” he says.
Giroux says workplace voting on the citizen-run referendum will happen on May 26 with community voting the next day.
Results will be delivered on May 30.
Right now they’re looking for more polling stations.
