‘Fight Ford’ protests growing across province
Up to 60 people lined both sides of Highway 26 in Stayner Saturday during a protest to oppose Premier Doug Ford’s policies.
The province-wide protests on March 28 were planned to coincide with Ford’s return to Queen’s Park on March 23, after a 14-week winter break. Before the legislature resumed its business, Ford had made a number of pre-budget announcements.
Duntroon resident Roz Campbell has been coordinating protests outside MPP Brian Saunderson’s office throughout the month of February and is one of the organizers of the province-wide demonstrations, which have been gaining momentum. Twelve communities in Ontario signed up for the first protest on Feb. 21, 41 joined in the March 28 event, and 38 have already signed up for the next one on April 25, so organizers are expecting that number to double.
Campbell was motivated to “Fight Ford” after the announcement that he would transfer ownership of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park to The Town of Wasaga Beach, compromising the eco-sensitive shoreline and breeding grounds for the piping plover, an endangered species that nests on the beach.
“The land transfer was the last straw for me because Canada has made a commitment to conserve 30 per cent of our land and water by 2030 and with Ford at the helm, Ontario is going backwards,” said Campbell. “I fight for the piping plovers not because I’m a plover lover but because they are the local innocent bystanders to Ford’s attack on Ontario’s land and endangered species.”
A number of issues, new and old, brought people out to the protest including access to education after the government announced it would lift a seven-year tuition freeze and reduce OSAP grants, the underfunding of public education, and the control of school boards.
Protesters also voiced a desire to safeguard the health care system from privatization and a two-tier model, protect democracy and the environment.
When asked what issue brought her out to the protest from Barrie, Alyssa Miller said, “I have a daughter in sixth grade and it’s not knowing if she’s going to get a quality education. He’s going to decimate public education.”
“And if we don’t protect the environment we’re not going to be here very long,” she continued.
She was at the protest with her mom Lynda Miller, of Wasaga Beach who said she is tired of Ford’s Toronto-focussed vanity projects and corruption, referring specifically to his attempt to protect himself, along with cabinet ministers, staff and parliamentary assistants, from freedom-of-information laws.
At the Orangeville protest outside MPP Sylvia Jones’ office up to 50 people were chanting, “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Ford and Jones have got to go.” Headwaters Community Coalition members were there to voice their opposition to the Strada quarry. Nanci Malek was there with a sign reading “Doug, leave the headwaters alone.”
She said a wide range of issues were represented in Orangeville as well and that the protest felt very positive, with lots of honks.
Her message to Ford: “Water is life.”
She said lessons were learned during the mega-quarry fight, during which she was a council member in Melancthon.
“We proved that with the mega- quarry it just won’t work,” said Malek, adding that the risk of contamination is too high. “We are at 1,600 feet, higher elevation than the rest of southern Ontario and our water feeds them, and into the Great Lakes.”
“I will fight this forever,” she said.
