/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - Thunder Bay hospital nurses, cleaners, lab techs and other front-line staff to rally July 4 against Ford's plan to privatize hospital services/

Thunder Bay hospital nurses, cleaners, lab techs and other front-line staff to rally July 4 against Ford's plan to privatize hospital services (CNW Group/Ontario Nurses' Association)

THUNDER BAY, ON, June 30, 2023 /CNW/ - Front-line nurses, medical lab technologists, healthcare aides, cleaners, clerical and other hospital staff from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre are rallying on Tuesday, July 4, committed to stopping Doug Ford's plan to contract out hospital surgeries and diagnostic procedures to private clinics.

A majority of the more than 2,000 unionized staff at the hospital - represented by the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), SEIU Healthcare and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) – have signed a petition calling for a halt to privatization. The workers are demanding investments in safe staffing levels through higher wages, and a permanent solution to the staffing crisis. Tuesday's Thunder Bay rally will be attended by front-line staff alongside their local and provincial union leaders, as well as leaders from Unifor and CUPE who also represent Ontario healthcare workers. Leaders will unfurl a large banner displaying the petition and workers' signatures.

The action comes in response to the Ontario PC's recent legislation, Bill 60, the deceptively named Your Health Act. The bill farms out surgeries and diagnostic procedures to private, for-profit clinics. Hospital staff say this PC plan would devastate the services in most of Ontario's public hospitals, including Thunder Bay's, and threaten public healthcare.

Since the provincial government's push to privatize hospital services and bring in American-style healthcare was made public, tens of thousands of hospital staff who are members of CUPE, ONA, OPSEU/SEFPO, SEIU Healthcare and Unifor have been organizing campaigns at community hospitals to fight against the plan. Today's rally is part of an ongoing series of visible actions by front-line hospital staff in communities across the province. 

WHO:	Front-line healthcare workers alongside Local and Provincial Leaders of ONA, Unifor, OPSEU/SEFPO, CUPE and SEIU Healthcare
WHAT:	Picket, rally against privatization of hospital services and presentation of a staff petition to keep hospital care public
WHERE:	1004 Oliver Road, next to the Oliver Road entrance to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, ON
WHEN:	Tuesday, July 4, 2023, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

Sheree Bond, ONA Communications, [email protected]; Kim Johnstone, OPSEU/SEFPO Communications, 416-550-4665, [email protected]; Corey Johnson, SEIU Healthcare, 416-529-8909, [email protected]; Hamid Osman, Unifor, 647-448-2823; [email protected]