Media Advisory-Ontario Budget Watch: Health Coalition Representatives Available to Respond to Budget

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 22, 2015) -

Attn: Assignment Editors in Toronto/North Bay/Scarborough/Sudbury/Windsor -

Ontario Health Coalition representatives will be available to share our responses to and analysis of the Ontario Budget tomorrow after the budget is released. To view the Ontario Health Coalition's Pre-Budget Briefing, outlining where Ontario ranks relative to other provinces and jurisdictions on public service and health care revenues, expenditures and cuts please visit www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.

While the announced plans for privatizing public assets and services such as Hydro One and liquor sales have captured the lion's share of public attention in the last few days, budget decisions regarding funding of public services will have very significant implications for the ownership and control of vital health care services, and will impact upcoming decisions regarding major cuts or closures of local hospitals and the privatization of chronic, long-term and home care.

The Ontario Health Coalition has been campaigning relentlessly to stop devastating cuts to entire hospital wards, closure of small and rural hospitals, and slashing of hospital beds and staff, as well as home care privatization.

The Ontario Health Coalition and Local Health Coalitions across Ontario will also hold budget watches or be available to give the local impacts of Ontario Budget 2015:

Toronto/Queen's Park: Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra will be available to respond to the provincial budget immediately after the budget lock up is released, Thursday April 23 at approximately 4 p.m. She will be at Queen's Park at the Main Legislative Building and can be reached at 416-230-6402 (cell) or contact Kim Johnston, campaign director at 647-381-7025 (cell).

Chatham-Kent: Shirley Roebuck, Chatham-Kent Health Coalition, 519-677-4460 (home).

Niagara: Sue Hotte, Niagara Health Coalition, 905-932-1646.

North Bay: Sue McIntyre, North Bay Health Coalition, 705-493-9114 (cell). Please note: Starting at 4 p.m. Sue will be holding a Budget Watch at her home, located at 929 Lakeshore Dr. and can be reached there.

Scarborough: Kingsley Kwok, Scarborough Health Coalition, 416-835-3377 (cell). Please note: From 4 - 5:30 p.m. Kingsley will be joining the Budget Watch at Buddy HK Café, located at 2950 Birchmount Rd. and can be reached there.

Sudbury: Dot Klein, Sudbury Health Coalition, 705-566-9072 (home).

Windsor: Ken Lewenza Jr., Windsor Health Coalition, 519-819-0830 (cell).