Labour Day ‘Solidarity March’ in Sault Ste. Marie

Labour Day Solidarity March held in the Sault Monday marked Sault Ste. Marie's 65th annual Labour Day Parade. Mike McDonald was there.

Workers gathered in downtown Sault Ste. Marie for the 65th Annual Labour Day Parade. More than a hundred people took part in this year's ‘Solidarity March,’ with this year's theme being ‘Lifting Everyone Up.’

"When we look at the health and safety issues that are happening in different work sites, when we look at the number of deaths that have occurred locally in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Michele McCleave-Kennedy, president of Sault Ste. Marie District Labour Council.

“That's the importance of unions coming together and fighting for workers across the province.”

Members of the Ontario Health Coalition were also on hand to speak on their ongoing efforts to protect public healthcare.

"We want to see our hospitals not privatized, but properly funded instead," said coalition representative Albert Dupuis.

"Privatization is a take away from the public system and we want this government to properly invest in our public hospitals."

The next gathering for the local labour movement will be a protest at Sault Area Hospital on Sept. 25, which will be a demonstration against healthcare privatization.