A Trojan horse is making its way through northwestern Ontario.
The Ontario Health Coalition and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario Council of Hospital Unions is using it as a symbol of the Ford government’s approach to health care.
They say the PCs are on a mission to privatize the system.
The Ontario Council of Hospital Union’s vice-president Sharon Richer (REE-shay) says it is already happening.
In northwestern Ontario, she cites, as an example, the use of nursing agencies by hospitals to address their staffing shortages.
“They’re actually poaching on the staff within these public hospitals and asking them if they would like to work for an agency, and then the agency sells back their services to hospitals at an exorbitant amount of money,” says Richer.
The horse made stops in Rainy River, Emo and Kenora on Monday.
It is in Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay on Tuesday before continuing into northeastern Ontario later in the week.
Richer says the goal is also to keep the awareness into the next provincial election.
“We need to ensure that it is something that people are going to be talking about during this election and really holding the Conservative’s feet to the fire when they say that you’re not going to have to pay for your healthcare, you can get it from your OHIP card.”
The tour will continue until the end of November.
