TORONTO, August 20, 2026 – The Ontario government will launch a new round of primary care expansion this September, with plans to create or expand about 78 primary care teams. The goal is to connect another 600,000 residents to a family doctor or other primary care provider. The province will invest about $250 million in this round.
For many Ontario residents, not being able to find a family doctor remains one of the most direct barriers to accessing health care. Provincial data shows that about 1.9 million residents are currently looking to connect with stable primary care services. The Ontario Medical Association previously estimated that about 2.5 million people in the province do not have a family doctor. Although the two figures use different methods, both show that the shortage of family doctors remains significant.
Residents without a regular family doctor often have to rely on walk-in clinics when health problems arise. In more serious situations, they may end up going to hospital emergency departments, adding further pressure to ERs and other health-care resources.
The primary care teams included in this plan may include not only family doctors, but also nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and other professionals. This allows residents to receive different types of care within the same health-care team, while also reducing the pressure on family doctors to handle all patient needs alone.
The province says that since the launch of its primary care action plan, about 437,000 residents have already been newly connected to primary care services. On August 5, the government announced the results of the previous round of the plan, approving 124 applications involving nearly 200 new or expanded health-care teams. Those projects are expected to provide services to about another 500,000 residents.
The new round starting in September will allow eligible local health-care organizations to apply for funding. The province will then review and approve applications in stages. Approved primary care teams will gradually add doctors, nurses and other health-care workers, while increasing patient capacity. The final goal is to provide primary care services to 600,000 residents.
The province currently plans to ensure that every Ontario resident who needs primary care can connect with a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team by 2029.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
