Hands Off Our Healthcare, Hydro, Transit and Housing

Toronto — 21 February 2016.

Privatization is everywhere in the city, our province, and across the country, whether is is selling off public resources and services; financing and managing public projects through public/private partnerships (P3s); contracting out the public capacity to manage and oversee the operation of programmes we all need.

Privatization seeks to transform our education, healthcare, energy, and transit into more assets for the 1% to profit from. It undermines public healthcare, affordable, sustainable and reliable energy, accessible transit, social and affordable housing, and the livelihoods of those who work in these sectors.

Who loses most from privatization? Workers, the unemployed, oppressed groups and the environment.

A number of movements work to challenge privatization — campaigns against the privatization of Hydro One and Toronto Hydro, healthcare, housing and transit. They include unions, community groups, ordinary people and others involved in researching and studying forms of privatization.

Part 1: Key anti-privatization fronts. Introduced by Herman Rosenfeld. Moderated by Kamilla Petrick. Presentations by:

• Rosario Marchese, Citizens Coalition Against Privatization
• Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition
• Stefan Kipfer, York University
• Stuart Schussler, Albany Park Autonomous Center, Chicago
• Brenda Thompson, TTCriders and Free Transit Toronto
• Bill Reno, Amalgamated Transit Union – Local 113 (ATU)
• Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario

Part 2: How can public resources operate differently? Moderated by Karen Wirsig. Presentations by:

• Heather Whiteside, University of Waterloo [see: “No Admittance Except on Business”]
• Leo Panitch, distinguished research professor at York University and co-editor of the Socialist Register

Part 3: Stopping the privatization of Hydro. Moderated by Herman Rosenfeld. Presentations by:

• Preethy Sivakumar, keephydropublic.ca
• John Camilleri, President, CUPE Local 1