05/07/2025
🚨 Big news out of Ontario today
for the health policy 🤓s
and
anyone who cares about actually fixing the
hashtag
shortage
Ontario just introduced the Primary Care Act, 2025, and I think it could mark a real turning point in how we organize and fund primary care in this country.
This is part of their broader Primary Care Action Plan → Ontario investing $1.8B in primary care
Here in BC, nearly 1 in 5 people still don’t have access to longitudinal primary care. That stat is heartbreaking, but not surprising. We know the system is stretched, and just hiring more doctors won’t fix it.
Ontario’s proposal might actually move the needle.
Highlights I’m excited about:
đź“Ś This new Act moves away from just funding primary care infrastructure through physician pay alone. Instead, it funds teams rooted in communities.
📌 It backs that shift with legislation, infrastructure and dollars—not just pilot projects or wishful thinking.
“The new Primary Care Act, if passed, would formalize Ontario’s commitment to team-based primary care and make it easier to expand and sustain it across the province.”
They’re not hoping teams will magically appear. They’re building the scaffolding to make it possible. (👏)
And this isn’t just about access—it’s about redefining what primary care is:
âś… Continuous
âś… Coordinated
âś… Team-based
✅ Wraparound care (think: prevention, mental health, social services… not just a 10-minute visit for a single issue)
For folks already lucky enough to have good care, this could mean better continuity.
For those left out? This offers real hope of meaningful, sustainable access.
As someone who studies Canada’s primary care system-I’m cautiously and critically optimistic. 🎉
The devil’s in the details: implementation, governance, local flexibility… and let’s be honest, we’ve seen what NOT to do in a few provinces.
But this is bold. And needed.
Let’s stop designing systems around physician pay models and start building them around people and communities.
đź“Ž Full announcement here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1005885/ontario-taking-next-steps-to-protect-primary-care
Let’s watch. Let’s learn. And let’s demand this kind of ambition coast to coast.
Ontario Taking Next Steps to Protect Primary Care | Ontario Newsroom
