Newmarket and Aurora’s pan-partisan protest group Common Ground Coalition will join the Ontario Health Coalition’s day of action on Thursday, Oct. 8 to demand the Ford government act immediately to address challenges within the province’s long-term care facilities.
Common Ground spokesperson Jon Aston said the coalition invites friends and neighbours “who care about the health and well-being of long-term care residents, staff, and families” to get involved in the Save our Seniors: Fix LTC! demonstration in one of three ways.
Participants can join a planned picket on Oct. 8 anytime between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Yonge Street and Savage Road, at the plaza where Newmarket-Aurora MPP and Health Minister Christine Elliott’s constituency office is located.
You are asked to wear a mask, keep six feet apart from other demonstrators, and bring your own sign.
Participants can also circle the block in their vehicle around Elliott’s office anytime between 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The route to follow is to travel north on Yonge, east on Mulock, south on Sandford, and west on Savage.
Organizers ask you to maintain a safe speed and watch out for children. You are encouraged to decorate your car, and honk the car horn as you circle the block once or as often as you wish.
Everyone is invited to attend Common Ground’s news conference at 12:30 p.m. Again, you are encouraged to bring a sign, wear a mask, and maintain physical distancing.
Common Ground was formed in May 2019 to raise awareness of and help put a stop to the Conservative movement’s cuts to social services and climate action.
The Ontario Health Coalition is calling on the Ford government to address the staffing crisis in the province’s long-term care homes, implement a minimum of four hours of hands-on care for residents, and end for-profit long-term care facilities.
Day of action protests are taking place in communities across the province on Oct. 8 beginning at 11 a.m. at area MPP’s offices, including a kickoff by Ontario Health Coalition members at 9:30 a.m. at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
For more information on Newmarket and Aurora’s Save our Seniors: Fix LTC! Protest, visit here.
For more on the Ontario Health Coalition, visit here.
