Candidates to Debate Healthcare in Four Niagara Ridings
Are you worried about access to health services and hospitals, long term care, home care, elder abuse? Are you interested in hearing what the different candidates and their respective parties’ positions are? You are invited to attend the following meetings to hear how they plan to alleviate the health care situation in Niagara. Be informed and vote accordingly.
Four Niagara-based organizations – the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) Niagara; Council of Canadians (COC) South Niagara Chapter; Niagara Health Coalition/Ontario Health Coalition and The Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO/ERO) District 14 Niagara — have teamed up to host candidates’ debates on healthcare in the four Niagara ridings. These four organisations represent well over 35,000 concerned citizens across the region. These are non-partisan, public meetings. Candidates will answer prepared questions from the host groups and questions from the audience.
Dates Riding Location Time
May 14 St.. Catharines Robertson Hall, 85 Church St., St. Catharines 6:30 to 9:00 pm
May 17 Niagara Falls Gale Centre, 5152 Thorold Stone Rd, Niagara Falls 6:30 to 9:00 pm
May 23 Niagara Centre Welland Arena Community Hall, 501 King St., Welland 6:30 to 9:00 pm
May 24 Niagara West Livingston Activity Centre, 18 Livingston Ave., Grimsby 6:30 to 9:00 pm
“Niagara residents need to hear from all political parties about how they intend to deal with the very significant access to health care and hospital services in Niagara,” says Sue Hotte, Niagara Health Coalition Co-Chair.
Clarice West-Hobbs and Dorothy Prickett, representing RTO/ERO Niagara and CARP Niagara, are concerned that with an aging population, complex care needs, and increased incidence of dementia, the need for safe and appropriate care in Ontario but especially in Niagara is growing yet there is no coordinated plan to meet these requirements.
Fiona McMurran emphasized the Council of Canadians’ concern that, with little to no public consultation, funding is being steadily diverted from the public healthcare system to private for-profit clinics, P3 hospitals, private home care companies and private long-term care homes.