Ontario Connecting More Patients to Primary Care in Ottawa

Press Release

April 20, 2026

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

OTTAWA — Today, Premier Doug Ford was in Ottawa to visit the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, which is one of 130 teams across Ontario being funded through the province’s $3.4 billion Primary Care Action Plan. The Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre received $1.15 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 clinic has already signed up nearly 1,800 patients, which is equivalent to over 80 per cent of its overall target of 2,175 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 Ottawa, 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 six primary care teams in the Ottawa region that have already connected thousands of patients to care. In addition to the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, the province is also funding:

Together, these organizations are receiving $8.1 million in provincial support and have already attached nearly 20 per cent of their primary care targets. Residents in Ottawa and across Ontario can get connected to primary care by registering through Health Care Connect at ontario.ca/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner.

“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 Ottawa, that will keep families healthier while relieving pressures on emergency departments,” said Sylvia 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.”

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.

“The Primary Care Action Plan is already making a meaningful difference for families across Ottawa, including in my riding of Carleton, by improving access to timely, reliable care,” said George Darouze, MPP for Carleton. “By connecting more people to primary care providers and expanding team-based services, our government is helping ensure residents can get the support they need close to home and when they need it most.”

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 2,300 nurses and more than 570 doctors from the US chose Ontario.