Ontario attaches more than 511k people to primary care amid goal of connecting all

Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones says more than 511,000 people have been connected to primary care since her government set a goal of attaching everyone in the province.

Jones says the progress so far means the government is on track to meet its target of ensuring every Ontarian has a primary care provider by 2029.

Jones made her announcement today alongside Dr. Jane Philpott, the former federal health minister who was appointed by the Ontario government in 2024 to lead a primary care action team.

The new attachment numbers mean that 88.7 per cent of Ontarians are connected to primary care, which is only up 0.2 percentage points from two years ago, but Philpott says the old number was based on a different and less accurate methodology, so it's hard to compare them.

The province also says many of the 511,000 people were attached by moving off the Health Care Connect wait list.

A call for proposals is currently open with the province looking to see 78 primary care teams created or expanded, which officials say should connect another 600,000 people. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026.

By Allison Jones | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.