Leaders aren’t the only ones doing last second campaigning

As the provincial election campaign winds down the bid to secure critical votes heats up, with two party leaders, Doug Ford and Andrea Horwath, making a stop in London on Sunday.

As the leaders look to rally support in our region, special interest groups are also rallying to make sure their issues are top of mind when ballots are cast.

A rally, held in St. Thomas, Ont. Saturday afternoon, was trying to ensure voters keep funding for those on the autism spectrum in mind when they cast their vote.

Jessica Ashton's son is now seven years old, "He was diagnosed at two-and-a-half and he's been waiting for therapy and, I mean, he's going to be waiting another eight to ten more years and that's just not acceptable."

About two dozen people lined Talbot Street chanting, "50k is not ok."

The Ontario Autism Coalition says more than 50 thousand children are currently on the waitlist for funding. Ashton says it’s important to keep getting the message out, "We want to spread awareness, let people know what's happening to our kids. It's not right, it's not ok."

Autism Coalition members aren't the only ones trying to draw attention to their cause.

Doug Ford will attend a rally for local Progressive Conservatives candidates at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn on Wellington Road early Sunday afternoon. There to greet him will be members of the London Health Coalition, raising their ongoing concerns about the potential for further privatization of health care.

Peter Bergman is helped organize the Health Coalition gathering, "Why did we have to give so much money to for-profit providers, largely in charge of the worst casualties in COVID, and this government seems to be uncaring."

Bergmanis admits that voters have many issues on their minds; foremost in recent weeks has been cost of living increases. He believes the two issues aren’t mutually exclusive to each other, "We don't have to look far to see how the United States, most commercial medicine in world, provides some of the worst outcomes if you don't have money."

Andrea Horwath will be making an appearance in London Sunday, it's a stop outside the offices of the Thames Valley local of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.