HAMILTON
– Comedian Mary Walsh,
Hamilton Tiger Cat and
radio personality Jason
Farr, national NDP
leader Jack Layton, and
recording artist Tom
Juravich will headline a
massive Wednesday
evening rally to save
home care in Hamilton.
About
225 skilled health care
staff will lose their
jobs after the Victorian
Order of Nurses and St.
Joseph’s Home Care
contracts expire in
April, meaning many home
care patients will lose
the continuity of care
from their trusted care
givers.
This
rally is part of a broad
community-wide protest.
Details are as follows:
What:
Rally to save home
care in Hamilton
When:
Wednesday, January 16,
7:00 p.m.
Where:
Michelangelo Banquet
Hall, 1555 Upper Ottawa
St., Hamilton
The two
agencies were discarded
in a flawed, costly and
confusing home care
bidding system,
originally brought in by
the Mike Harris
government and
maintained by the
Liberals virtually
intact. The process
encourages “cutthroat
bidding,” pitting
agencies against one
another to provide the
cheapest, most
profitable home care,
region-by-region and
favours for
profit-agencies at the
expense of long-term
not-for-profit
caregivers.
A video
presentation will focus
on the plight of
patients who fear losing
much-needed home care
services, and the
frustrations of workers,
the majority of whom are
women. Speakers will
include patients and
families affected by the
process.
Other
speakers will include
union leaders Linda
Haslam-Stroud (Ontario
Nurses’ Association),
Sid Ryan (Canadian Union
of Public Employees),
Smokey Thomas (Ontario
Public Service Employees
Union), and Nancy Guzzo
(Laborers’ International
Union of North America).
