Protesters rail against premier at Guelph ‘Fight Ford’ event

GUELPH – Those who showed up for a grassroots “Fight Ford” protest on March 28 in Guelph had a long list of complaints against Premier Doug Ford and his government.

More than 100 people showed up at the corner of Gordon and Wellington streets, bundled against the cold with signs, whistles, drums and a lot of anger, ready to talk about Ford’s decisions and the direction he’s taken the provincial government, which they say have negatively impacted their lives.

The list includes: reducing access to freedom of information (FOI), cancelling a basic income pilot, cutting funding for supervised consumption sites, lack of health care funding, cuts to OSAP, threatening First Nation treaty rights via Bill 5, merging conservation authorities, nepotism, patronage and political cronyism, closing Ontario Place, building Highway 413, cancelling climate initiatives, cutting protection for endangered species, cuts to the Ontario Autism program, pushing a privatized water system, democratic interference with the City of Toronto, and the ongoing Greenbelt scandal.

A number of protests took place across the province and when Guelph residents Julie McCann and Anne Moore realized there wasn’t one in Guelph, they quickly pulled one together.

“I live with chronic illness, and every day (Ford) does impact my life,” said McCann.

She listed poor access to health care and specialists, and no rent controls as Ford decisions that impact her personally.

“I live in poverty,” she said. “That’s my reality.”

She said her mother had a stroke in February, and “it’s not a good time to be sick in Ontario.

“We need a new group of politicians. This group is not in it for the people.”

Moore said Ford has dropped the democratic process – from limiting FOI requests, to reducing public consultation and environmental studies before planning applications are approved.

“The government should be for the people but everything with him is top secret,” Moore said of Ford. “That’s not acceptable. They have an obligation to talk to the public. People are really upset.”

Bill Chapman was there to protest education funding levels – both public and post-secondary.

He said if parents have a registered education savings plan, they might be able to manage tuition for their children. 

But if they don’t, it’s almost a lost cause, he said – especially in light of changes to the student loan program that drop grants by 85 per cent and increase student loans by 75%.

And the tuition freeze is over.

“My passion is people, not corporate profit,” Chapman said. “I get upset when people get sacrificed.”

Musician James Gordon, who was once a Guelph city councillor, attended because he’s fed up with Ford.

“Ford is great at deflection and right now he sees that we’re distracted,” Gordon said. 

“So he’s bringing these changes that are almost unnoticed. But he’s crossed a line for me. So I’m here to raise awareness.”

Duncan MacKenzie said, “Why bring in legislation on FOIs? There’s only one interpretation and that is that he’s got something to hide.

“What kind of democracy have we got if they won’t tell us what they’re up to?”

Many signs made note of diminished democracy under Ford. Others talked about health care and education funding, and the housing crisis.

One sign said,“fight truth decay.” A young boy had a sign that read,“Doug Ford’s choices are harming me.”

Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky spoke with the Advertiser prior to the protest, and while he acknowledged “everyone has the right in our democracy to express themselves,” he didn’t put much stock in the protest.

“There’s always going to be people that disagree with the government,” he said.

“We had an election only one year ago and the people, they voted ... more people voted in the election than (the one) before that.

“And they made it very clear that they want Premier Ford to lead Ontario for the next four years.” 

Protest organizer McCann said other protests are being planned for later in the year and she’ll do her best to coordinate more in Guelph.