Protesters, including members of Ontario labour organizations of the Fight Ford movement, gathered at Confederation Park on Saturday, where they protested Premier Doug Ford’s government and called for transparency.
Protesters carried signs and handed out information sheets to Kingstonians as part of Fight Ford, a movement opposing Ford and members of the Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario.
Gaelyn Scarlett, an organizer and volunteer for Fight Ford in Kingston, shared her understanding of the declining support for Doug Ford.
“My impression is that resistance to Ford is growing as Ontarians become aware that he is using his power to line his own pockets rather than serving the people’s interests, and as more people are adversely affected by his destructive policies,” said Scarlett.
Labour unions and education workers have also become involved with the movement, showing up at Confederation Park to show their support.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA), and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) are just some of the organizations joining the movement and demanding change and transparency in the province.
“I’m certainly not surprised that they are concerned enough to join our protests…I just hope more people inform themselves about the spiralling provincial debt, the damage to the very services that make us relieved and proud to be Canadian, and the likely financial corruption at the heart of it all,” said Scarlett.
A recent poll from Angus Reid Institute on premier approval ratings found that Ford’s popularity is at its lowest point in his eight years as premier.
Steve Garrison, political action chair of OECTA and member of the Kingston District Labour Council, has been attending multiple protests in Kingston and the greater area, and detailed his view on Ford’s diminishing support.
“I think it’s reached a turning point. There are so many people who have been affected; it’s built up, and now they’re becoming allies because they all have a common cause, and that is that they’ve all been negatively affected by Ford’s cuts,” said Garrison.
In an interview with YGK News, Garrison explained the importance of educating the people of Ontario on Ford’s actions.
“He’s skillful in trying to navigate how he deals with the public,” Garrison said, referring to Ford, “and so we feel that perhaps the public doesn’t have the full picture,” Garrison continued.
YGK News reached out to members of the Progressive Conservative Party for comment but did not hear back.
The province-wide protest is ongoing and is held on the last Saturday of every month. The next one is on July 25.
