Leaders and members of Canada's largest union will join concerned residents in a public town hall meeting to stop the privatization of North Bay's public services.
The event will take place Thursday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Best Western on Lakeshore Drive in North Bay.
The Thursday evening forum features the national and provincial leaders of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and expert speakers on public health care, privatization and public finance.
North Bay is experiencing first-hand how privatization means communities pay more, and get less. The city's privatized public-private partnership (P3) hospital is costing an extra $7 million a year in private financing costs. Since the hospital opened four years ago, 50 beds have been cut and more than 100 jobs have been eliminated.
The forum comes on the heels of roughly 158 layoffs announced Wednesday at the North Bay Regional Health Centre.
Concerns relating to Cassellholme long-term care facility are also expected to be address while speakers will highlight the dangers of P3s for long-term care.
The event will be moderated by Henri Giroux, President of the North Bay and District Labour Council, and features CUPE National President Paul Moist, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn, Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra, and CUPE Senior Economist Toby Sanger.
BayToday.ca will have comments and reaction from the event later tonight.
