Back to Search
The Ontario government is taking the next steps to deliver its Primary Care Action Plan, which is on track to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.
As part of this plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team, the province 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 our region 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.
Subscribe