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.