Ontario pledges to connect everyone with a family doctor by 2029

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The Ontario government announced Monday that it will connect more than half a million people with a family doctor or primary care team in less than three years.

This comes nearly two years after the province launched its Primary Care Action Plan in January 2025.

The $3.4-million plan has already connected more than 511,000 people to care, with Health Minister Sylvia Jones saying it is on track to get everyone in the province that same primary care by 2029.

“Our government’s plan to protect Ontario’s health-care system is delivering real results as Ontario continues to lead the country in access to primary care,” Jones said in a statement.

“I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made since launching our Primary Care Action Plan less than two years ago. We’re ahead of schedule and firmly on track to connect everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”

Free up space in ERs

What it also means is people will have options and won’t necessarily have to go to an emergency department to get medical care or assistance and gives hospitals “the capacity for the individuals who are in most in need of emergency care,” Jones told reporters on Monday.

While a recent report said one-tenth of emergency department patients spent more than 14 hours in the emergency room in recent years, health officials say wait times are down to their lowest levels in over a decade.

“Primary care is the first place people turn to when they need support, whether welcoming a new baby, managing a chronic condition, or caring for an aging parent. Having a family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team means having a trusted partner who knows your health history and can provide personalized care throughout every stage of life,” Dr. Jane Philpott, Chair of the Primary Care Action Team, said.

“While there is more work ahead, Ontario is making meaningful progress to connect every person to the care they need.”

Has much changed in two years?

The percentage of people who have access to primary care is now 88.7%, but that isn’t much of a move from the 88.5% figure in 2024.

According to Dr. Philpott, that difference is more about how the numbers were measured, not the scale barely moving in nearly two years.

Previously, Ontario depended on retrospective survey data from a random sampling of the population.

The Ministry of Health has since developed much more accurate methodology where “we can actually tell almost down to a person who is and isn’t connected to ongoing primary care rather than a survey sample,” Dr. Philpott detailed.

“It’s the best in class standard of measurement that we’re using now and we are determined to support the government’s goal of making sure that we get to 100%,” she added. “That’s the number we’re aiming for, and it gets better all the time.”

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