Health News For Central West


Friday, August 28, 2026
Ministry Of Health
Ontario Investing Over $15 Million to Connect 38,000 More People in Scarborough to Primary Care

News Release
August 05, 2026

Investment is part of the province’s $3.4 billion plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a family doctor or primary care team


SCARBOROUGH — As part of its $3.4 billion Primary Care Action Plan to connect every person in Ontario to primary care, the Ontario government is investing over $15 million in four primary care teams across Scarborough, connecting more than 38,000 people to a family doctor or primary care team. This investment builds on the success of the province’s 2025-26 call for proposals, which provided more than $4.8 million to two primary care teams with clinics located in Scarborough. These clinics have already connected more than 13,600 people to primary care, exceeding their combined target by 33 per cent. Together, these investments bring the province’s total funding to expand primary care in Scarborough to nearly $20 million.

“As we work to connect everyone in Scarborough and across Ontario to a family doctor or primary care team by 2029, we’re making historic investments to keep families healthier while reducing pressure on emergency departments,” said Minister Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “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.”
Through its Primary Care Action Plan, the province is providing new funding to four primary care teams in Scarborough through the 2026-27 call for proposals, connecting more than 38,000 people to a family doctor or primary care team:
This investment builds on $4.8 million in funding provided to the Carefirst Family Health Team and Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities in 2025-26, which is already helping connect more people in Scarborough to primary care close to home.
This week, the province also marked the start of construction on Scarborough Health Network’s new emergency department at Centenary Hospital, another major milestone in connecting more patients and families in Scarborough to faster, more convenient, high-quality care closer to home. Supported by a provincial investment of more than $82 million, the new state-of-the-art emergency department will be more than 36,000 square feet larger than the hospital’s existing emergency department and support approximately 400 good-paying jobs in the region.

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 Scarborough and across Ontario can get connected to primary care by registering through Health Care Connect at Ontario.ca/HealthCareConnect.

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
  • 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.
  • 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

"I am proud that, under the leadership of Minister Jones, our government is making significant investments in primary care teams across Scarborough-Agincourt and throughout Scarborough. Carefirst has long been a pillar of health care in Scarborough and the GTA, exceeding its original patient targets and making a lasting difference in the lives of residents by connecting more people to high-quality primary care teams."

- Aris Babikian
MPP Scarborough—Agincourt

"Scarborough residents are grateful for our government’s Primary Care Action Plan, which is connecting people across Ontario with a primary care team, family doctor, or nurse practitioner. Through this initiative, Carefirst has connected more than 4,500 patients to care, far exceeding its original target. Their success demonstrates our government’s commitment to ensuring that Scarborough residents have access to the health-care services they need."

- Dr. Raymond Cho
MPP for Scarborough North

"Primary care teams are essential to our community as they connect and give people access to the full range of health professionals including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and so on, in a timely manner to help them stay healthier for longer through quicker diagnosis and treatment. I am grateful to Minister Sylvia Jones, under the leadership of our Premier, as we remain steadfast in our commitment to seeing everyone in Ontario connected to a family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team by 2029."

- David Smith
MPP for Scarborough Centre

"Access to timely, high-quality primary care is essential for the health and well-being of our community. Today’s milestone at Carefirst Family Health Team shows what is possible when we invest directly in local care teams. Connecting thousands of Scarborough residents to a family doctor or care provider demonstrates our government’s commitment to building a stronger, more accessible health-care system for Scarborough families."

- Vijay Thanigasalam
MPP for Scarborough—Rouge Park

"We are grateful to the Ontario government for its leadership and investment in expanding access to team-based primary care through the 2025–2026 Call for Proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan. Carefirst Family Health Team is honoured to have received over $4.5 million expansion funding to expand Integrated Primary Care Team (IPCT) services in Scarborough, Richmond Hill, Markham, and surrounding communities. With this funding support, Carefirst Family Health Team has exceeded its Round 1 expansion target to have attached more than 10,000 patients to our various satellite clinics. This provincial investment is helping to ensure that more individuals, who do not have a family doctor, could now access comprehensive, and better coordinated primary care services that are closer to home."

- Helen Leung
Chief Executive Officer, Carefirst Family Health Team

Additional Resources
Media Contacts

Lily Barnes
Minister Jones’ Office
lily.barnes@ontario.ca

Media Relations
Communications Branch
media.moh@ontario.ca



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