OPSEU News Conference on Privatization

What: OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas will hold a news conference to outline action needed to get privatization under control and hold Wynne Liberals to public services promise.
Where: Queen's Park Media Studio
When: 10 a.m., Thursday, June 19, 2014

TORONTO, June 18, 2014 /CNW/ - Privatization runs counter to public interests and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union is calling on Premier Kathleen Wynne to get the failed policy under control.

The budget Premier Kathleen Wynne has said she will re-introduce in July includes plans for more privatization of public services. This runs counter to Premier Kathleen Wynne's stated goals and demands clarification at the start of her four-year mandate, said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas.

"Privatization has been a massive failure. It costs more and delivers less," said Thomas. "There is no public policy of the past 20 years that has a worse track record."

Judges, auditors, consultants, reporters, and government ministers have investigated privatization and found it doesn't work.

The government's own agency, Infrastructure Ontario, has just admitted that private involvement in the building of a Kingston hospital cost the public $165 million more than would have been the case for a public project.

For information on failed privatization cases in Ontario, see OPSEU's publication and video by the same name, http://www.opseu.org/epicfail

OPSEU represents 130,000 Ontarians who work across the public sector. They analyze blood tests, inspect drinking water, teach journalism, protect children from abuse, and provide hundreds of services that people and communities need.

SOURCE: Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)

Warren (Smokey) Thomas 613.329.1931; Sheila Keenan 416.802.1251