Health Coalitions across Ontario launched a major fightback to stop the privatization of our public hospitals.
The Coalition is mounting a community-run referendum. Health Coalitions are organizing voting stations outside grocery stores, local corner stores, coffee shops, at Legions and community centres and in every busy part of our communities that we can.
On Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27 we will hold the referendum. More than a thousand voting stations will be open across Ontario. Leading in, throughout the month of May, online voting will be available on the main website PublicHospitalVote.ca and workplace votes will take place.
Ballot question
Do you want our public hospital services to be privatized to for-profit hospitals and clinics?
People can vote “Yes” or “No”.
(Please do not use this email to vote! We are not accepting email votes. You will be able to vote online after May 2 at PublicHospitalVote.ca or in your community during the month of May as per the details here.)
Who can vote
All Ontario residents who are aged 16 or older. You must take a pledge to only vote once and on that pledge form, which is separate from your vote, give your address to help ensure the integrity of the vote.
How You Can Help
- Help find voting stations in your town/region: The focus this month is to get all the voting stations arranged. We are asking local stores — wherever it is busy — a corner store where there is a gas station, convenience stores, retail outlets, grocery stores, coffee shops. We are also asking community centres, neighbourhood centres, non-profit agencies, seniors’ centres, Legions, and other busy places. It is a community opinion vote and it is about democracy. These are decisions regarding the future of our local public hospitals and the services we need. We will find volunteers to staff the voting stations on Friday May 26 and Saturday May 27. If you will help find voting stations, or if you own a local business and can help, please let your local health coalition know. The list of local coalitions is here and has contact info. If your community is not on the list, please contact us at the Ontario Health Coalition at 416-441-2502 ontariohealthcoalition@gmail.com.
- Organize workplace votes in every workplace possible during the month of May. If you own a business, are in a union, work in a business, a public service or a non-profit and you can help hold a vote in the lunchroom or at shift change, or however it works in your workplace, please do help. The list of local contacts across Ontario where you can get ballots, ballot boxes/envelopes and the materials you need to hold a vote – and where you can return them when you are done — is attached here. If your community is not on the list, please contact us at the Ontario Health Coalition at 416-441-2502 ontariohealthcoalition@gmail.com.
- Donate (click to go to the link) to help build the scale of the referendum. We have thousands of volunteers working across the province now. We have to pay for leaflets, ballots, fact sheets, lawn signs, window signs, car decals, organizers to support the local volunteers and more. We can build the referendum as big as we have the funding and resources to do,
- Help find volunteers for the votes outside businesses and community hubs at the end of May. We will need tens of thousands of volunteers to staff a thousand or more voting stations outside local coffee shops, grocery stores, at Legions and community centres and more. Volunteers can get in touch with their local coalitions to help here.
- Volunteer with your local health coalition or with the Ontario Health Coalition. Volunteers can get in touch with their local coalitions to help here.