Horwath brings vision for better health care to the Niagara Region

Families set to join Horwath to talk about the impact of Ford’s health care cuts and chart a better way forward

ST. CATHARINES — NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath will hold a town hall in St. Catharines on Thursday evening to hear from patients, families and community members and lay out a shared vision for better health care in the Niagara Region.

Horwath will be joined by local NDP MPPs Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) and Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre).

“For too long, Niagara families have settled for crushing hospital waits and a health system that just didn’t work for them,” said Horwath. “Health care workers were forced to accept provincial budget cuts and funding freezes when they were already run off their feet.

“Instead of making things better, Doug Ford’s health care scheme is going to make things so much worse by privatizing health services, cutting frontline staff, reducing OHIP coverage and forcing families to pay more and expect less from their healthcare system.”

Ford is replacing local health services with more and more unaccountable control directly from Queen’s Park. His Super Bureaucracy centralizes health decisions at Queen’s Park and throws the door wide open to even more private companies competing for our health dollars. He’s also scrapping 25 health units throughout Ontario, forcing Hamilton, Niagara, Brant, and Haldimand-Norfolk public health units to merge while he cuts public health funding. Ford is also cutting funding to emergency services while plotting to fold Ontario’s 52 paramedic and emergency health services into just 10.

Horwath is touring the province to hear directly from families about the impact of Ford’s health care scheme and work on a better way forward.

“New Democrats are joining with families to push for a future where everyone gets the care they need when they need it. Where upstream solutions like prescription drug coverage and dental care for all become a reality. We’re fighting to ensure our public health dollars go to services for people, not profits for corporations.

“New Democrats will continue to join with families and fight for a future where people are at the heart of every decision.”