Nearly 89 per cent of Ontario residents now have primary care provider, province reports

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Ontario has connected over 500,000 additional residents to primary care providers since January 2025, raising the total to about 14.26 million people, or 88.7 percent of the population. Despite this progress, concerns remain about the sustainability of these gains due to impending physician retirements and workforce retention challenges as the province aims to achieve complete primary care attachment by 2029.

Ontario has reported significant progress in connecting residents with primary care providers, with more than half a million additional people linked to health care services since January 2025. The figures were released on Monday, marking two years since the provincial government appointed former federal health minister Jane Philpott to lead efforts aimed at improving access to family doctors and other primary care professionals.

According to the province, the total number of Ontarians with a primary care provider now stands at approximately 14.26 million, representing 88.7 percent of the population. This reflects a net increase of 511,000 people connected to primary care settings since the launch of the Primary Care Action Plan in early 2025.

While officials have not confirmed the exact number of residents without a primary care provider, calculations based on current data suggest that around 1.8 million people in Ontario remain unattached. The government also noted that it has reduced the HealthCare Connect waitlist by clearing 470,000 names, though more than 24,000 individuals still face waits exceeding six months for a referral.

Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones expressed pride in the progress, highlighting the strides made toward enhancing access to primary care. Dr. Philpott emphasized that the province is on track to meet its target of connecting every resident with primary care by 2029.

However, some concerns remain within the medical community. Adil Shamji, a physician and health critic for the Ontario Liberals, acknowledged the advancement but questioned the sustainability of current gains. He pointed to ongoing challenges such as physician retirements, population growth, and difficulties retaining health care workers. Data cited by Shamji indicates that more than 2,100 family doctors in Ontario, serving an estimated three million patients, are over 60 and likely to retire in the near future. Additionally, a survey by the Ontario Medical Association revealed that about half of the province’s doctors are planning or considering retirement within five years.

Shamji criticized the government for focusing more on recruitment than on retaining existing health care personnel, expressing skepticism about the ability to fulfill long-term commitments under these conditions.

Dr. Philpott clarified that Ontario’s reported attachment rate is derived from a newly developed, more precise methodology implemented by the Ministry of Health over the past two years. Unlike the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s (CIHI) figures—which rely on survey samples and placed Ontario’s 2024 attachment rate at 88.5 percent—Ontario’s approach allows for a near-exact count of individuals connected to primary care.

Most of the newly linked patients have been connected to family doctors, though a smaller portion have been attached through community health centres, Indigenous primary health care organizations, or nurse practitioner–led clinics.

When Ontario launched the Primary Care Action Plan, it aimed to connect approximately two million more residents to primary care. The province has historically maintained one of the highest primary care attachment rates in Canada, and current developments appear to build on this foundation.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.