Dear community,
Our community members are paying the price - literally - for Ford's health care privatization scheme.
Your Ontario NDP and countless health care professionals and allies sounded the alarm on this months ago, and we're starting to see the bills stack up. Earlier this week, a fellow Toronto resident was charged $120 by Toronto General Hospital for a medically necessary procedure that should be fully covered by OHIP. This is unacceptable!
Expecting patients to fight tooth and nail on a case by case basis to access the health care each of us deserves is not the future I want for our province. I don't think this is the future you want, either!
I hope you'll join me in signing this petition to put an END to Ford's privatization of our public health care system, because your health shouldn't come with a price tag.
No one knows the harms of privatization better than those on the frontline of our crumbling public healthcare system. The nurses, PSWs, doctors, and all healthcare workers who are first to feel the brunt of Ford's cuts.
Yesterday, they joined together in solidarity at hospitals across the city, yet again, to say NO to his plans to bring profit into healthcare. I, along with my Ontario NDP colleagues, Kristyn Wong-Tam and Leader Marit Stiles, was proud to join them at St. Michael's Hospital in this continued fight.
My deep thanks to organizers with Ontario Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare, Unifor, LiUNA, and CUPE, and each person in attendance for being there, and your continued allyship with public healthcare workers and the future of our public healthcare system.
This morning, I also met with members of our St. Paul's community and the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND) . These doctors are doing important work to ensure our community stays healthy with proven practices that treat all types of ailments or health concerns.
Yet, our healthcare system has not caught up with them. While other provinces, like British Columbia, have made changes that bring the health benefits they deliver within the scope of public healthcare, along with MDs.
Thank you, doctors for taking the time out of your busy schedule for the insightful discussion. I look forward to working more closely with you in your advocacy for a better, more comprehensive healthcare system.
Learn more of OAND's work here.
Later this evening, I'll be joining the residents of 1400 Bathurst St. to celebrate 30 years - three whole decades - of this beloved Toronto Community Housing residence! I am so grateful to every community member, TCH worker, and neighbourhood advocate who has worked tirelessly to foster resilience and build solidarity.
These decades are a testament to the commitments of residents, staff, and supporters, and a symbol of all our belief in the power of community and the right to accessible and affordable housing for all who seek it.
Here's to 30 years of housing excellence, and our continued fight for equitable and inclusive communities where everyone has a place to call home - regardless of income.
If you have donations to spare, please consider bringing them down to Marian Engel Park on Saturday between 11AM - 1PM! If you need some extra groceries, come on down no questions asked (we have tote bags)!
Each year across Ontario, thousands of lives are lost to overdoses. We need every level of government to prioritize implementing harm reduction strategies to combat these senseless deaths, and you can help.
As many of you know, Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, and these kits are FREE with training at participating pharmacies across the city. Together, we can prevent unnecessary deaths and work toward a more compassionate society that is safe safe for everyone.
Find a pharmacy with Naloxone kits near you, and make sure you can recognize the signs of an overdose.
In Solidarity, 
Jill Andrew
Toronto-St. Paul's
