On Monday, the Ontario Health Coalition, in partnership with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, launched a legal challenge against the Ontario Ministry of Health to stop the P3 hospital deals in Brampton, Ottawa, and Toronto. The basis of the suit is that the minister has not provided the legal or legislative framework to privatize. The Public Hospitals Act calls for not-for-profit hospital boards that can follow directives from the ministry, and which are set up under of series of different measures in the act. P3s do not meet the public governance standards the act calls for.

Public Meetings are scheduled across Ontario to highlight key election issues. So far, the response has been fantastic. Forums have been held in London, Sarnia, Guelph, Toronto, Peterborough and others. A quick update:

Toronto Health Coalition: Forum on the privatization of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: Seventy people came out to a forum on the privatization of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Speakers included Shirley Douglas, Marcie Taylor, Nancy Pridham, and Natalie Mehra.

Guelph Forum on P3s: Dr. PJ Devereaux was the keynote speaker at a forum last night hosted by the Guelph Health Coalition on privatization of hospitals.

Sarnia & London Public Meetings: Public meetings were held in Sarnia and London to kick off local coalition campaigns to set the key election issues. Participation was great, and plans are well underway in each community. The Sarnia Coalition's all candidates' meeting will be held tonight.

Peterborough All Candidates Meeting: A well-covered media conference preceded the Peterborough Health Coalition's all candidates' meeting as the Conservative candidate refused to show up. This coalition has made healthcare issues the key issues in their local media for eight full days of the campaign so far. Great work!

Upcoming meetings are planned for: Etobicoke North, Etobicoke Lakeshore, Scarborough, Newbury, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Perry Sound, Kitchener-Waterloo, Oshawa, Lindsay and others. Click here for dates and locations

This past Saturday, health coalition volunteers began canvassing Toronto neighbourhoods to educate people on the issues of P3s, long term care and homecare, and private MRI and CT clinics. The canvassers put up tons of lawn sign -- the response from people at their homes has been overwhelmingly positive!

The St. Catharines Health Coalition has reached 1,000 households door-to-door to raise awareness about hospital redevelopment plans in their city and to ensure the new hospitals are public.

The Brampton Coalition has reached thousands of households. Lawn signs are up all over the city. Daily leafletting is underway at various locations across Brampton. The community is fighting hard to keep their hospital public.

The Trojan Horse tour to draw attention to plans to privatize healthcare & hydro by stealth is going strong, and getting great coverage across the province. Click here for upcoming dates and locations.

Window signs and a special election tabloid are being distributed door-to-door and in mass literature drops through communities across Ontario. Currently underway are drops in Oshawa, Peterborough, Lindsay, London, Sarnia, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, Goderich, Toronto - including Etobicoke & Parkdale and others. To join in by distributing leaflets through your community, please call us! 416-441-2502.