The provincial government has officially unveiled its next steps in delivering on the Ford government’s Primary Care Action Plan, which originally set out a goal to connect everyone in Ontario to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.
The plan is being spearheaded by former federal Liberal Cabinet minister and physician Dr. Jane Philpott.
Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff was in Port Colborne to announce millions of dollars of new funding to help expand primary care across Niagara.
The Ford government plans to invest $12.2 million in additional spending this year to connect more than 23,000 people to primary care in Niagara, Brantford, Hamilton, and London.
Specific local expansions include more primary care at the Bridges Community Health Centre, Quest Community Health Centre, Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara, REACH Niagara, and De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre. All five centres will use the additional funding to establish a process to accept new patients.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government continues to make record investments to protect our health care system,” said Oosterhoff. “This expansion of primary care in Niagara is especially good news for patients in South Niagara, including Port Colborne, Fort Erie and Wainfleet.”
“This latest provincial investment is just one more step in our plan to ensure people here in our region and across Ontario have access to high-quality care, closer to home, for generations to come,” added Oosterhoff.
“This announcement reflects the power of collaboration among Niagara’s Community Health Centres, Family Health Teams, REACH Niagara, De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre, Ontario Health West and Ministry of Health,” said Executive Director of the Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara Tara Galitz.
“Together, these projects will create new opportunities for health and social care positions, along with additional Niagara-based support roles, directly benefiting Niagara residents by improving access to team-based primary care and wraparound services across the region,” Galitz added.
In budget 2026, the Ontario government announced plans to ramp up spending on primary care by $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.
“Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and have already exceeded our 2025-26 attachment target,” said Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones. “By connecting more families to care in Niagara, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
