Votes are counted: Ontario Health Coalition reveals results from informal health care survey
The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) said more than 382,000 people voted in their informal survey.
For the past six weeks they’ve been asking Ontarians to vote in person or online on whether they want public hospital services to be privatized to for-profit hospitals and clinics.
“We’d love to see like all 382,000 plus of those [ballots] being poured out onto the front lawn of the legislature,” said Peter Bergmanis, co-chair of the London, Ont. chapter of the OHC.
In response to the Ford government’s implementation of Bill 60, the advocacy group started what they were calling “referendum” on public health care.
In London, the OHC received more than 15,000 physical and online votes, with about two per cent saying they'd be okay with privatization.
At Queen’s Park, Premier Doug Ford dismissed the OHC’s work.
The Ontario Health Coalition says more than 382,000 people across Ontario voted either online or in-person during their informal survey on public healthcare. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)
“I don't call it a referendum, it was a political poll that was driven one sided,” said Ford.
He had his own opinion on how the survey question should have been crafted.
“Do you want to wait in line for a hip replacement that could take 18 months?” asked Ford.
“Or would you like something that could be done in 60 days from the exact same doctor in a surgical clinic, in a centre?”
The OHC believes the Ford government will be forced to listen to the results, or face potential fallout at the ballot box in the next three years.
“He's got closures of ERs in a lot of Conservative communities,” said Bergmanis. “Minden has never been in the news before and now it is. St. Marys in our own backyard. So I think the Conservatives are very concerned. They wouldn't actually be pushing back against us so hard if they weren't concerned.”
London Health Coalition co-chairs Peter Bergmanis (left) and Jeff Hanks discuss the number of votes cast in the recent survey on public health care in Ontario. (Brent lale/CTV News London)
The opposition parties will bring the formal tally to the legislature later this week.
“The magnitude of 10,000 in a petition is significant, and this is magnitudes much greater than anything done before,” said Bergmanis.
He added, “We have the people on our side and they know we have the people on our side. This government is now put on notice that they are going to have a heck of a three year journey, if they choose to continue to implement this.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.