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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.