Coalition forums wrap up this week in Sudbury and Windsor

CAW economist Jim Stanford and Algoma University professor Dr. Gayle Broad speak at the last two Ontario Health Coalition forums this week.

Broad speaks tonight in Sudbury as part of a panel with SEIU VP Cathy Carroll and OHC Director Natalie Mehra at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 76, 1553 Weller Street.

Tomorrow night Stanford speaks in Windsor with Mehra at the CAW 195/2458 Union Hall at 3400 Somme Avenue.

Both forums begin at 7 pm.

15 province-wide forums have engaged the public on the impact of the McGuinty government’s spring budget on Ontario’s health system. The March provincial budget cut further than most had predicted, leading to concerns about longer waits, crowded ERs and the delisting of some health services.

Last summer the provincial auditor had warned plans to hold health care funding to increases of 3.6 per cent would lead to cuts in service or escalating hospital deficits. Despite the warning, Ontario is slowing the rate of annual increase in health care funding to an average of 2.1 per cent over the next three years.

Jim Stanford is a well-known media figure, appearing regularly on both television and in print. In addition to his column for the Globe and Mail, Stanford is founder of the Progressive Economics Forum and author of Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism.

Dr. Gayle Broad is an assistant professor at Algoma University’s Community Economic and Social Development program. She is also a researcher with NORDIK, a community based research institute affiliated with the University.

Gayle’s background includes twenty-five years as a practitioner of community economic and social development, working with women, low-income and Indigenous communities.