Three years back, the Ontario College of Family Physicians predicted that by 2026, over four million people in Ontario could be without a family doctor. This was a worrying forecast at a time when the health care system in the province is already stretched thin.
While more recent data from the OCFP indicates that this worst-case scenario hasn’t fully materialized, things still look grim, with around 2.5 million residents in Ontario currently lacking a general practitioner. An Ontario Medical Association survey revealed that 52 percent of existing family doctors are thinking about retiring within the next five years.
In Durham, roughly 27 percent of family physicians are older than 60 and getting closer to retirement.
Some residents-particularly those living in rural areas-struggle to find family doctors. However, Pickering-Uxbridge MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy recently shared that the province intends to allocate $3.8 million this year to help connect nearly 9,936 individuals with primary care services in Pickering.
The announcement mentioned that this initiative is part of the Ontario government’s strategy to ensure everyone has access to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029 through its Primary Care Action Plan.
“An investment of $3,799,000 is strengthening primary care capacity and delivering stable, reliable health care closer to home for families in Pickering,” Bethlenfalvy stated.
“This funding will assist in connecting up to 9,936 patients with a primary care provider, ensuring greater certainty and continuity of care right at home.”
The province noted that funding for the Durham West Network Family Health Team came through this action plan.
This team includes four clinics: Central Pickering FHO, Priority Health FHO, Baywest FHO, and Ajax Harwood FHO.
“On behalf of our physician collaborative in Durham West, I am thrilled, proud and humbled to receive approval for the establishment of our new Family Health Team: Durham West Network Family Health Team,” said Dr. Lubna Tirmizi from the Durham West Network Family Health Team.
“We are thankful for both the provincial government and specifically the Primary Care Action Team for allowing frontline family physicians to have input into shaping the future of primary care in Ontario. A big thank you also goes out to the Durham Ontario Health Team and all our community partners for your incredible support!”
The province’s news release stated that the Primary Care Action Plan supports 124 teams throughout Ontario which are expected to connect an additional 500,000 patients with primary care services. Each team has laid out plans aimed at reaching many unattached individuals within their communities including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.
In January 2026, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones mentioned that they’re on track to meet their goal of linking all residents with primary care within four years while funding new teams across the province capable of taking on thousands of patients along with increasing enrollment slots at medical schools and speeding up licensing processes for out-of-province doctors moving into Ontario.
A recent report from Oshawa-a municipality within Durham Region-stated that despite these initiatives it remains “uncertain” whether legislation has led to any “measurable improvements” for residents there as it struggles with city-specific data analysis.
The March 2026 report highlighted that back in 2024 towns and cities across Durham Region signed an agreement aiming at launching a recruitment program specifically designed for bringing in and keeping family medicine trainees as well as established family physicians within eastern GTA while also funding a full-time recruiter through Docs for Durham via Durham Ontario Health Team.
The findings showed recent Ministry of Health estimates suggesting about 66,000 people living in Durham Region do not have a family doctor; furthermore local data indicates at least another 100,000 residents are linked with physicians outside their region.
The report further noted each year approximately 1,500 newborns leave hospitals within Durham without being assigned a primary care physician.
A report from last year by the Durham Physician Recruitment Program mentioned welcoming twenty new medical students into its third cohort linked with Queen’s Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine Program while engaging Queen’s family medicine residents studying throughout Durham. They’ve expanded outreach efforts during national and international recruitment events while “strengthening partnerships” among healthcare institutions across Durham’s clinics creating smoother transitions for newcomers.”
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