North Bay – Michael Hurley, the president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE) and Natalie Mehra of the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) are meeting with local public health care activists in North Bay tonight to begin organizing community opposition to the proposed private P3 hospital for North Bay.
CUPE and the OHC are working with public health care activists in communities across Ontario, like North Bay, where there is a threat of P3 hospital privatization. Recently, the Ontario Liberals announced that the new hospital would be built using a private P3 financing model.
In Britain, where these private P3 deals are rampant, they have been a disaster for communities. The hospitals have 30 per cent fewer beds and clinical services provided to the community.
“The people of North Bay deserve a new fully public hospital. But from the little we know about the current new hospital proposal, it will be built using a private P3 model like the ones used in Britain. These deals are shrouded in secrecy, and they provide communities fewer services. Even the local MPP and the hospital administration are not being told what this new private P3 model will look like,” says Hurley.
- WHO: Michael Hurley, President, OCHU/CUPE; Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition; and, North Bay community health care activists
- WHAT: Community meeting to built opposition in North Bay against a private P3 hospital
- WHERE: Legion Hall, North Bay
- WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2005 — 7:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact:
Michael Hurley, President, OCHU/CUPE - (416) 884-0770;
Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications - (416) 578-8774.