St. Catharines – A 14 foot tall replica of the Trojan horse is making pit stops in many Niagara communities this week to help spread the word that Niagara deserves public, non-profit hospitals.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) created the giant wooden horse to bring the dangers of private P3 hospitals to the public’s attention. The horse has been in the Niagara region to lend support to the Niagara Health Coalition “Build it Right” campaign against private P3 hospitals.
The coalition campaign includes a community-wide vote on Saturday, June 25, asking voters whether they want a 100 per cent publicly-funded, owned, administered and operated hospital for St. Catharines.
“In every community we go to with the horse, there has been widespread interest. People get it: that, like the Trojan horse, private P3 hospitals are a hollow promise that threatens our universal health care system,” says Steve Palmer, the leader of CUPE hospital workers in Niagara who has been traveling with the horse.
CUPE’s Trojan horse will be at several “Built it Right” polling locations in St. Catharines and Thorold on voting day, Saturday, June 25, including:
- Pine Ridge Plaza — Thorold — 9:00 a.m., Saturday, June 25, 2005
- Grantham Plaza — St. Catharines — 10:30 a.m., Saturday, June 25, 2005
For more information, please contact:
Steve Palmer, President, CUPE 1097 - (905) 932-6188
Sean Wilson, CUPE 1287 - (289) 213-6642
Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications - (416) 578-8774