Tag: Fighting Privatization
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Petition to Algoma University: Re-instate admission to Geography, History, Music, Sociology, and Visual Art
Algoma University’s programs in Visual Art, Music, Sociology, Geography and History have made – and continue to make – invaluable contributions to the civic and cultural life of Sault Ste. Marie and Northern Ontario. These programs have encouraged students to stay in the North who might otherwise have left and have shaped generations of creative…
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Donation of blood has always been free. Why charge now?
Wendy Lee, Local 575, inSolidarity Committee On Monday, March 3, 2025, a rally was held at the for-profit plasma Grifols Donation Centre in Whitby between 1-3pm. Various organizations, including Ontario Health Coalition and unions (OPSEU, CUPE, ONA) came together to protest (Dozens rally against paid plasma donation clinic in Whitby, Ont., calling practice unethical |…
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Save our public voluntary blood system: No paid plasma rally in Whitby
Join OPSEU/SEFPO members working at Canadian Blood Services, labour and community allies for a No Paid Plasma Rally in Whitby, where private healthcare company Grifols is preparing to open a for-profit plasma donation centre. Rally Details: When: Monday, March 3rd 1-3PM ET Where: Grifols Donation Centre, 1801 Dundas Street East, Whitby More Info: Geoff Cain Blood…
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Fighting for Public Health Care: Ontario Health Coalition Assembly Mobilizes for Action
By Wendy Lee, Local 575, inSolidarity Access to primary health care in Ontario is reaching crisis levels. The struggle to find a family doctor has become a harsh reality for many, as evidenced by desperate scenes like the one in Walkerton, Ontario, where 1,000 residents braved frigid temperatures in the hopes of securing one of…
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Toronto officially declared a Paid-Plasma-free Zone
In a significant step forward for OPSEU/SEFPO’s campaign against paid-plasma in Ontario, Toronto has officially been declared a paid-plasma-free zone. On November 13, Toronto City Council passed the motion signifying its opposition to private, for-profit blood collection in the city. The motion was brought forward by Councilor Chris Moise and seconded by Councilor Alejandra Bravo.…
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Health Professionals Week 2024: “We are the backbone of health care!”
During Health Professionals Week, we celebrate the specialized care that our growing membership of health care professionals in OPSEU/SEFPO’s Hospital Professionals Division (HPD) provide every day for patients in Ontario’s hospitals. HPD members work at 84 hospitals across the province, providing diagnostics, rehabilitation and therapies in more than 250 health professions. Our members are at…
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Rallies to stop for-profit health care
On Thursday, May 30, the Ontario Health Coalition is hosting a number of rallies and marches against for-profit health care. Toronto: Gather at noon at the south side of Nathan Phillips Square across from the Sheraton, 123 Queen St. W. We will march to the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park where the Legislature will be in session. There…
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Petition to Algoma University Senate: Stop the privatization of public education at Algoma University!
Algoma University (AU), a public institution, has offered a Graduate Certificate in Project Management since 2021, with AU faculty designing and delivering the certificate’s courses. Beginning in Fall 2023, AU management has transferred course design and delivery responsibilities for this certificate to Yorkville University, a private, for-profit university with non-unionized faculty who will be paid…
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World Blood Donor Day: Ontario’s voluntary donation system under threat by for-profit pharmaceutical giant
World Blood Donor Day, recognized every year on June 14, was initiated in 2004 by the World Health Organization. The aim was to raise awareness about the critical need for safe blood and blood products, and to express gratitude to donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood. This year’s theme – “GIVE blood, GIVE…
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B.C. rebuffs Canadian Blood Services, will not allow private company to collect blood plasma
The Globe and Mail is reporting that British Columbia will not allow an international pharmaceutical company to collect blood plasma in the province, despite Canadian Blood Services’ attempts to get the private company past a provincial ban. “We do not anticipate that Grifols would be operating sites in British Columbia,” a B.C. government official told…
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No Paid Plasma Info Session
Now is the time for us to come together as workers, members, and communities and stop for-profit paid plasma collection! Join our virtual information session on Wednesday April 26th at 6:30pm where we will be discussing how you can support the campaign and what actions you can take to keep Grifols out. CBS – No…
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CBS Bargaining update and No Paid Plasma Info Session
Please join your Sector 19 Executive and CBS Bargaining Teams from across the province to discuss where each of our CBS unit are in the bargaining cycle, and also to discuss for-profit paid plasma collection in Ontario. Collectively all CBS Bargaining units need to come together to save our public voluntary blood system. Privatized Plasma…
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OPSEU/SEFPO and BloodWatch.org call for investigation into undisclosed paid plasma agreement
Toronto – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) and BloodWatch.org are calling on the provincial government to investigate the terms of an undisclosed agreement between Canadian Blood Services (CBS) and the multi-national pharmaceutical giant Grifols. Their call is supported by MPP France Gélinas, the NDP health critic. The agreement could violate the Voluntary Blood Donations…