Primary Care Expansion Comes to Niagara

As part of this plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team, the Ontario government is investing more $12,214,700 this year to connect up to 23,667 people to primary care in Niagara, as well as Brantford, Hamilton and London.

“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government continues to make record investments to protect our health care system,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.

“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 Niagara and across Ontario have access to high-quality care, closer to home, for generations to come.

“Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and have already exceeded our 2025-26 attachment target,” said Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

“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.”

In Niagara, this investment will support:

• 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 local primary care providers will establish a process to accept new patients and will communicate this to their local community.

This regional investment in primary care in Niagara was funded through the latest call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan, with all 124 teams receiving funding expected to attach another 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario.  Each team has established a plan to attach a high proportion of unattached people in their community, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.

Through the 2026 Budget, the province is also increasing overall funding for the plan to a total of $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.

“Access to team-based, comprehensive primary health care is fundamental to having a strong and healthy community,” said Taralea McLean, Executive Director of Bridges Community Health Centre. “Bridges Community Health Centre is pleased to advance the goal of connecting every person in South Niagara to team-based primary health care close to home.  Our collective work will improve access to care for thousands of people, including nearly 9,000 residents across South Niagara. We extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Health for this significant investment, which will allow us to take a coordinated approach to improving how people access and receive health care in Fort Erie, Port Colborne and Wainfleet.”

“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 Tara Galitz, Executive Director of the Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara. “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.”

The province also exceeded its 2025-2026 attachment goal under the Primary Care Action Plan, which was to connect 300,000 patients to a primary care provider by March 31, 2026. As of January 1, 2026, the province attached 330,000 people to care in 2025-2026, surpassing its goal by more than 30,000.

Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to grow the province’s highly skilled health-care workforce and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care, closer to home, for generations to come.

Quick Facts:

• Several supports are available to help connect people in Niagara with a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team, including Health Care Connect, Niagara Region’s Find a Doc webpage and Niagara’s Health Care System Navigators. Residents who would like extra help can contact the System Navigators by phone at 905-354-9393 or by email at info@npha.ca.
• Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team is drawing on best-in-class models of care to implement its action plan, supported by the government’s investment of more than $3.4 billion to connect approximately two million more people to primary care by 2029, which will achieve the government’s goal of connecting everyone in the province to primary care.
• The government is making significant progress on its goal of clearing the Health Care Connect waitlist as of January 1, 2025. That waitlist has been reduced by more than eighty-seven percent as the plan continues to hit its targets and deliver faster access to high-quality care.
• Interprofessional primary care teams connect people to a range of health professionals that work together under one roof, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, physician assistants, physiotherapists, social workers, dieticians and pharmacists, helping patients to receive more connected and convenient care.
• Since 2018, Ontario has added nearly 20,000 additional physicians to its health-care workforce, including an over fourteen percent increase in family doctors.

Quotes:

 “By working together across Community Health Centres, Family Health Teams, and other primary care partners, we are building a more connected system that will help more people get attached to the care they need, closer to home,”

Dr. Darija Vujosevic, Clinical Lead, Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara, and Co-Lead, Niagara Practitioners’ Healthcare Alliance

“We are grateful for this increased funding, which provides an important opportunity to further advance Quest’s commitment to delivering accessible, community-based care.  This investment will support our efforts to improve health outcomes, reduce inequities, and expand access to essential services for equity-deserving populations facing barriers to care throughout Niagara.  Together, we are building healthier, more inclusive communities where everyone can thrive.”

Nancy Garner, Executive Director, Quest Community Health Centre

“The London initiative represents the first phase of a broader regional vision to improve access to French-language primary care services across Southwestern Ontario.  The Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara remains committed to working with partners in the remaining regions and will continue to pursue future opportunities to expand the model and address identified service gaps in Sarnia-Lambton, Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo.”

France Vaillancourt, Executive Director, Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara

“This $1.08 million investment to REACH Niagara (in partnership with Niagara Medical Group Family Health Team) is a critical step toward connecting more of Niagara’s most vulnerable residents to ongoing, team-based primary care.  As the need continues to grow, expanding REACH Niagara’s care in shelters, supportive housing, encampments, and on the street allows us to reach people who would otherwise go without care.  By meeting people where they are and removing persistent barriers, we can ensure more individuals experiencing homelessness and complex challenges are attached to consistent, compassionate care and the essential support they need before their health deteriorates further.  This not only improves health outcomes for some of our community’s most vulnerable residents but also strengthens our healthcare system by helping people access the right care at the right time, reducing avoidable visits to emergency departments and hospitals.”

Carolyn Dyer, Executive Director, REACH Niagara

“As part of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan, the Niagara North Family Health Team excitedly welcomes a $902,200 annual investment that will significantly improve access to primary care and much-needed mental health services for residents in St. Catharines, Niagara-on-the-Lake and across the region.  Working in close partnership with Quest Community Health Centre, Niagara Medical Group Family Health Team and other Regional Partners, this investment will support the recruitment of Nurse Practitioners, RPNs, Social Workers, and additional administrative support, strengthening our interdisciplinary care teams and enhancing access to timely, comprehensive care.  A major focus of this expansion is increasing access to mental health services by adding dedicated Social Workers to reduce wait times, expand programming and ensure more patients receive support when they need it most.  Most importantly, this additional clinical capacity will also help connect thousands of more patients to primary care while enhancing same-day access, chronic disease management, and preventive care.”

Stephen Szeplaki, Executive Director, Niagara North Family Health Team