Workers, community members gather in Ottawa to protest Ontario government's policies, cost of living
Thousands of workers marched in Ottawa and across Ontario as part of the "Enough is Enough Day of Action", to mark the Progressive Conservative Party’s re-election anniversary.
In Ottawa, the march started at Major’s Hill Park Saturday afternoon with a strong message.
All different organizations came together in a united front on the one-year anniversary of Premier Doug Ford’s re-election.
"As someone with a disability, I have a worry that if I have a health care need, is it going to be taken care of? Is there going to be space for me in the emergency?" Kenzie McCurdy of StopGap Ottawa said.
Unions, community groups, volunteers and residents attended the march.
Those gathering at the site included unions, community groups, volunteers, and residents.
"What I want is the Ford government to sit down and think about how its actions are affecting our students in Ontario, because they are not going to be OK if things keep going the way it is. Privatization is not the answer," said Shelby McEachern, who was at the march.
The event is called the Day of Action, with rallies across the province hosted by the Ontario Federation of Labour.
"We were marching to keep our healthcare public, to keep our education public and to fight for a more affordable Ontario," said Elizabeth Houlding. "We want affordable housing and affordable groceries."
McCurdy is living with a disability and wants her voice heard loud and clear.
"All of the issues that I care about are under attack in Ontario," McCurdy said. "Social housing, accessible housing, affordability, healthcare, and privatization of healthcare, it’s just everything is going downhill and we are in crisis mode."
The Day of Action issued a number of demands for the provincial government, including wage increases for workers across different sectors, keeping schools and healthcare public, as well as factors around the cost of living like affordable groceries and gas.
"Justice for workers came out of the '15 and Fairness' movement. We represent and fight for unionized and non-unionized workers,” said Susan Rab of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.
The march left Major’s Hill Park for the Byward Market. Police officers temporarily blocked traffic as hundreds took to the streets.
Each group here with their own demands to make their lives better.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.