Rather remarkably, amid the pandemic, Ontario’s government has introduced a detailed $2.1 billion primary care plan. Their aim is to reach another 500,000 residents with convenient access to primary care by 2029. The recently passed Primary Care Act is fueling this effort. It establishes a new, comprehensive approach to increasing access to healthcare across the province.
With action plan in hand, the goal is to ensure that every resident has convenient access to primary care services. This accessibility is essential for both a functional healthcare system and our democracy. In early June 2025, the provincial government responded by announcing $235 million in funding. This investment will enable the formation and growth of more than 130 new primary care teams. Many of these teams have already begun seeing new patients. This demonstrates the government’s resolve to address the growing pressure on healthcare services.
Perhaps most importantly, Ontario’s provincial government does not restrict its primary care workforce to only conventional MDs. The initiative—founded on principles of interprofessional collaboration and education—unites a rich cross-section of healthcare providers. It encompasses nurse practitioners and other allied health workers, everyone set on increasing access to primary care. This approach is more important than ever as the province continues to struggle with hundreds of thousands of residents without a family doctor.
The Health Care Connect program deserves kudos for its notable accomplishments in recent months. As a result of January 1, 2025, the waitlist for services has been reduced by more than 98,000 individuals, representing a reduction of over 42 percent. This development is a great sign of the Ontario government’s continued dedication to improving healthcare accessibility for all Ontario residents.
Ontario is in the midst of a call for proposals to increase its primary care capacity. Through this initiative, TCC seeks to develop & scale 75+ new PCMH, multidisciplinary primary care teams. This program is designed to extend primary care services to half a million more of the city’s residents. It’s a step towards reaching an even larger objective of getting two million additional Ontarians into publicly funded primary care by 2029.
Today, more than 300 new teams are providing collaborative, interprofessional primary care in every corner of the province. Every winning team will have to come up with a plan focused on re-engaging those unattached people in their communities. They have to demonstrate a quantifiable improvement towards their goal in no more than one year.
Beyond keeping doctors already in Ontario, the Ontario government needs to do more to bring qualified healthcare professionals from outside the province. Streamlining the process for U.S.-licensed nurses and board-certified physicians to work in Ontario has led to remarkable outcomes. In just 2025, almost 1,400 nurses and more than 260 doctors decided to continue their careers in Ontario’s healthcare workforce.
In response, the federal government introduced the “Practice Ready Ontario” program. Through this initiative, we’re working to bring 100 internationally trained family physicians through the barriers and into practice in rural or northern communities by 2025. This new program is projected to link licensed, foreign-trained doctors to an extra 120,000 health care residents who can’t access primary care.
Recent data underscore the need for this vital healthcare measure. By mid–2024, approximately 2.5 million Ontarians were without a family doctor, a deeply concerning jump from 1.8 million in 2020.
Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, praised the government’s efforts:
“We commend the government for continuing to expand team-based care – a model that delivers better health outcomes and greater equity.”
Dr. NP Michelle Acorn, CEO of the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario, highlighted the potential of nurse practitioners:
“a largely untapped resource, and by working to their full scope they are uniquely positioned to lead the next phase of accessible, timely, and comprehensive care.”
Deepy Sur, CEO of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, emphasized the importance of supporting family physicians:
“Investments that support family physicians to thrive within a strong primary care foundation will lead to a healthier Ontario and less pressure on other parts of our health system.”
