Sudbury region impacted by Ontario’s move to expand primary care access

Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team, Espanola & Area Family Health Team and the Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury are all on the list for expansion

During the Aug. 18 Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the province will link 600,000 more people to a family doctor or primary care provider with a $250-million boost to the Primary Care Action Plan.

The next call for proposals launches in September to create or expand some 78 primary care teams in the province with a goal of connecting all Ontario residents to primary care by 2029, the province said.

“As we work to connect every person in Ontario to a family doctor or primary care team by 2029, we’re making historic investments to bring more care directly into communities across the province,” said Jones in a news release. “This next call for proposals will connect 600,000 more people to family doctors and primary care teams, keep families healthier and relieve pressure on emergency departments.”

The Primary Care Action Plan was unveiled in January 2025 with a $3.4-billion funding announcement.

Ontario said it plans to add more than 300 new primary care teams by 2029, connecting two million more people to care.

“Since the launch of the Primary Care Action Plan, over 437,000 people have been connected to primary care,” the province said in the news release.

Get connected to primary care by registering through Health Care Connect at Ontario.ca/HealthCareConnect.

“Communities across Ontario will be eligible to apply for funding through this next call for proposals in September 2026,” the release states. “All Ontario Health Teams will be provided guidance in September, leading up to the call for proposals launch.”

Ontario released local patient targets for the expansion. For the Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team, the expanded target is 2,050 patients. At the Espanola & Area Family Health Team, the patient target is 2,950. And for the Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury, the patient target is 225.