Kingston and area residents voted no to privatizing our public hospitals to for-profit clinics and for-profit hospitals in a community referendum held last weekend.
A total of 10,394 residents voted at 17 voting stations, two of which located in Napanee, and other advance polls that were staffed by 119 volunteers. Dozens more local residents helped during the six-week long campaign. The combined results were 10, 256 votes no to privatization, 138 votes yes, and 10 spoiled ballots. Over 98 per cent of people said no to privatization to for-profit clinics and hospitals.
The referendum was organized locally by the Kingston Health Coalition as part of a province wide vote organized by the Ontario Health Coalition. There were 1,000 voting stations across Ontario in addition to the online voting option.
“The local results show that our community is united in opposition to the government plans to move work out of our public non-profit hospitals into for-profit corporate clinics,” said Joan Jardin, co-chair of the Kingston Health Coalition when announcing the results.
“Our community understands that there is space in the public system to improve care for patients. There are many innovative ideas, great staff and wonderful communities and volunteers that can be mobilized to support non-profit care. The real problems start with a lack of government will, systemic underfunding, and a 30-year push to for-profit corporations to deliver health care, while causing staff reductions in the public system. Further privatization will only make the problems worse,” added Jardin.