Ontario Increasing Access to Primary Care Across the Province
Province’s historic agreement will attract and retain more family doctors across the province
The Ontario government is taking the next step in its plan to protect the health-care system and connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029. As part of its plan, the province signed a historic 2024–28 Physician Services Agreement that will increase compensation, add incentives for family doctors to take on new patients, expand after-hours care and help recruit and retain more family doctors to Ontario.
“Ontario continues to lead the country with the highest rate of attachment to primary care, supported by the largest health-care workforce in Canada,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “With this historic agreement coming into effect today, Ontario will be able to attract and retain more physicians, incentivize doctors to take on new patients and make primary care more connected, convenient and sustainable for years to come.”
Effective today, under the new agreement, families across Ontario will see more convenient access to primary care, including:
- Changes that help retain current physicians, including improved compensation, an increased number of entry positions for new doctors and incentives that support physicians to take on new patients.
- More convenient appointment options, including evenings and weekends, by enhancing compensation for doctors for offering after‑hours care.
- Stronger support for people with complex health needs, as doctors will receive bonuses for enrolling patients, including those with serious or complex health conditions, helping ensure those who need care the most are not left behind.
- Fewer visits to emergency departments, as physicians are supported to perform more minor procedures directly in their offices.
- More doctors in rural and northern communities, as new and modified programs will help recruit and retain doctors in areas that need them most.
These changes build on the government’s previous investments that have already added 100,000 new nurses and nearly 20,000 additional physicians to its health-care workforce, including an over 14 per cent increase in family doctors.
Since the launch of the government’s $3.4 billion Primary Care Action Plan, Ontario has already attached over 330,000 people to ongoing primary care, surpassing the province’s 2025-26 attachment goal of 300,000. This puts the province firmly on track to connect every Ontarian to a primary care provider by 2029.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take action to strengthen and protect the province’s highly skilled health-care workforce, ensuring that people and families have access to high quality, comprehensive primary care when and where they need it, for generations to come.
Quick Facts
- According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Ontario leads the country with access to a regular health-care provider.
- FHO+, is part of the 2024–28 Physician Services Agreement negotiated in partnership with the Ontario Medical Association, and will modernize the Family Health Organization model.
- Under the current Physician Services Agreement, Ontario currently spends over $20 billion to connect people to doctors, including primary care, specialists, and other services across the province.
- The Ontario Medical Association serves as the representative body for Ontario’s physicians, advocating for their well-being, as well as the health of their patients.
- In September 2025, the Arbitration Board issued an award for the remaining three years of the 2024-28 Physician Services Agreement that increases access to primary care and provides stable funding for physicians across the province.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love