What happened
The Ontario government says its Primary Care Action Plan has connected more than 511,000 additional people to a family doctor or primary care team. The release also says more than 470,000 people have been cleared from the Health Care Connect waitlist since January 2025, bringing wait times down to their lowest levels in over a decade.
The release states that Ontario leads the country in access to primary care, with nearly 90 per cent of people connected to a primary care provider.
What the official text says
> Now in its second year, the plan has made significant progress, already connecting more than 511,000 additional people to a primary care provider. More than 470,000 people have been cleared from the Health Care Connect waitlist since January 2025, bringing wait times down to their lowest levels in over a decade.
Who is affected
The release addresses Ontario residents who are not yet connected to primary care, including individuals and families without a family doctor. It says having a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team means having a trusted partner who knows your health history and can provide personalized care throughout every stage of life.
The release does not break down the figures by population group and does not separately describe access for newcomer families.
Timeline
- February 2024: the first expansion of primary care teams in more than a decade, with more than $110 million invested, connecting over 610,000 people to primary care.
- December 2024: the Primary Care Action Team (PCAT) was established, led by Dr. Jane Philpott.
- January 2025: the Primary Care Action Plan was launched, with the goal of attaching everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team by 2029.
- April 2025: supported by a $235 million investment, the 2025-26 call for proposals was launched to connect 300,000 more people to a primary care provider.
- September 2025: supported by a $250 million investment, the 2026-27 call for proposals was launched to connect 500,000 more people; 124 proposals representing over 190 new and expanded primary care teams were successful.
- March 2026: through the 2026 Ontario Budget, an additional $325 million annually was invested in the plan, increasing the four-year investment to $3.4 billion.
- September 2026: supported by a $250 million investment, the 2027-28 call for proposals was launched to create and expand approximately 78 primary care teams that will connect 600,000 more people to primary care.
- October 2026: more than 470,000 people cleared from the Health Care Connect waitlist, with wait times down to their lowest levels in over a decade.
The release says these numbers reflect attachment rates up to May 31, 2026, with the number of Ontarians connected to primary care continuing to grow in the months since.
The official page states that the province encourages all residents to get connected to primary care by registering through Health Care Connect at Ontario.ca/healthcareconnect.
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