Ontario Connecting More Patients to Primary Care in North Bay

Press Release

April 09, 2026

Province investing $3.4 billion to connect everyone in Ontario to primary care

NORTH BAY — Today, Premier Doug Ford was in North Bay to visit the North Bay Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, which is one of 130 teams across Ontario being funded through the province’s $3.4 billion Primary Care Action Plan. The North Bay Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic received $477,800 as part of the 2025–26 call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan and began attaching patients to care in July 2025. Since then, the clinic has already signed up 245 patients, which is equivalent to 22 per cent of its overall target of 1,138 patients, putting it on track to meet or exceed its goal by 2029.

“We’re investing record amounts in health care across Ontario, building hospitals, training more doctors and nurses than ever before and connecting patients to convenient primary care in their community,” said Premier Ford. “Here in North Bay, these investments are helping more people get the care they need when and where they need it. I want to thank all of our incredible partners in the community who are helping make this possible as we work to connect everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”

Through its Primary Care Action Plan, the province is funding two primary care teams in the North Bay region that have already connected hundreds of patients to care. In addition to the North Bay Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, the province is also funding the North Bay Indigenous Hub — Giiwedno Mshkikiiwgamig, which is receiving $714,700 to attach people in Indigenous communities in North Bay, Nipissing First Nation, Dokis First Nation and Temagami First Nation, and has already attached 26 per cent of its primary care target. Residents in North Bay and across Ontario can get connected to primary care by registering through Health Care Connect at ontario.ca/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner.

“We are protecting Ontario’s health-care system by building new and expanded primary care teams in local communities that will keep people healthier for longer, while relieving pressures on emergency departments,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “We encourage all new patients to sign up for Health Care Connect as 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 regular health-care provider, the province has set clear goals to close the remaining gap and connect every person to primary care by 2029, the first of which is to clear the Health Care Connect waitlist as of January 1, 2025 by spring 2026. As of this week, that waitlist has been reduced by more than 90 per cent as the plan continues to hit its targets and deliver faster access to high-quality care.

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.

“Our government’s record investments in primary care are already delivering results here in North Bay,” said Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing. “As the province remains on track to connect everyone in Ontario to primary care by 2029, we are proud of the work happening in our community to ensure local families have access to the care they need, where and when they need it.”

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.
Primary care teams connect people to a range of health professionals that work together under one roof, including doctors, nurse practitioners, registered and practical nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, and dietitians, among others. Timely access to primary care helps people stay healthier for longer with faster diagnosis and treatment, as well as more consistent support managing their day-to-day health while relieving pressures on emergency departments.
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.
In 2024, Ontario invested $110 million in primary care teams across the province, helping to connect over 580,000 more people to primary care close to home.
Since 2018, Ontario has added nearly 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 1,700 nurses and more than 450 doctors from the US have already chosen Ontario.