Friday, August 28, 2026
Ontario Connecting More Patients to Primary Care in Toronto
News ReleaseAugust 11, 2026
TORONTO — Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, visited Women’s College Academic Family Health Team in Toronto, which is one of nearly 200 teams across Ontario being funded through the province’s $3.4 billion Primary Care Action Plan to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care team by 2029. The Women’s College Academic Family Health Team received over $3.3 million as part of the 2025–26 call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan and began attaching patients to care in August 2025. Since then, the team has signed up more than 10,000 patients, already exceeding its original target of 7,825 by nearly 30 per cent.
“As we work to connect everyone to primary care by 2029, our government is protecting Ontario’s health-care system by investing in new and expanded primary care teams in Ontario communities, including Toronto, that will keep families healthier while relieving pressures on emergency departments,” said Minister Jones. “We encourage those looking for a new primary care clinician to sign up for Health Care Connect, the fastest and most seamless way to get connected to a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team.”
While Ontario continues to lead the country with nearly 90 per cent of people connected to a primary care provider, the province has set clear goals to connect every person to primary care by 2029. Residents in Toronto and across Ontario can get connected to primary care by registering through Health Care Connect at Ontario.ca/healthcareconnect.
The government announced Dr. Jane Philpott as the chair of its Primary Care Action Team in October 2024 with a mandate to connect every Ontarian to primary care by 2029. Building on this momentum, Ontario established the Primary Care Action Plan in January 2025, which will connect approximately two million more people to primary care by 2029, supported by the province’s investment of more than $3.4 billion. Through the plan, the government has launched two rounds of funding for new and expanded primary care teams, resulting in 199 successful applicants for new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams to connect 800,000 more people to primary care across the province.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to grow the province’s highly skilled health-care workforce and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care, closer to home, for generations to come.
Quick Facts- One hundred and twenty-four successful applicants will receive funding for a new or expanded primary care team as part of the latest call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan. These teams are expected to connect another 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.
- Ontario is advancing a new provincewide Primary Care Medical Record system to integrate patient records, reduce administrative burden for clinicians and improve the quality and coordination of care.
- Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team is drawing on best-in-class models of care to implement its action plan, supported by the government’s investment of more than $3.4 billion to connect approximately two million more people to primary care by 2029, which will achieve the government’s goal of connecting everyone in the province to primary care.
- Since 2018, Ontario has added over 20,000 additional physicians to its health-care workforce, including an over 14 per cent increase in family doctors.
- Ontario is taking significant steps to strengthen its health-care workforce by making it easier for US-licensed nurses and board-certified physicians to move to and practise in Ontario. In 2025, over 2,300 nurses and more than 570 doctors from the U.S. chose to practise in Ontario.
Quotes
"Improving access to primary care is essential to building a more equitable and responsive health system. Through the Primary Care Action Plan investment, the Women’s College Hospital Family Practice Health Centre is already seeing a significant impact, connecting thousands of patients through community partnerships and Health Care Connect. This support is also advancing innovative models of team-based care, where patients benefit from the expertise of an interprofessional team. We are proud of the impact this work is having in expanding access, supporting proactive care and building a stronger primary care system for our communities." - Heather McPherson
President and CEO, Women’s College Hospital
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