Three million Ontarians are at risk of losing their primary care physicians when they retire, provincial Liberals say

More than three million Ontarians could be at risk of losing their primary care physicians to retirement, as could thousands of primary care physicians over the age of 60, the provincial Liberals say.

According to an October government report tracking the number of doctors and patients in the province, there are about 2,300 primary care physicians aged 60 or older who serve about 3.1 million patients in the province. Given the age of the doctors, Liberals say these patients are at risk of losing their doctors when they retire.

“This is something we should have been considering for six years,” Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie told reporters on Wednesday. “[The Conservatives] I don't have a plan to take care of it.”

The Ontario Liberals released the document on Wednesday, saying it was leaked to them by a concerned health care member. Asked to authenticate the document, the Health Ministry directed CBC Toronto to review comments the minister made to reporters on Wednesday. Minister Sylvia Jones said only that she had not personally seen the document.

The report says all information is current as of this fall.

LOOK | Why the Ontario Medical School Changes May Not Work as Intended:

Ontario's changes to medical school admissions won't solve primary care physician shortage: doctor | Canada tonight

The Ontario government will effectively ban international students from attending medical schools starting in 2026, while also covering tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming general practitioners in the province. Dr. Cathy Risdon, a professor of family medicine at McMaster University, says the number of international students in medical school “is not an issue in Ontario,” adding that the changes “distract” from the reality facing primary care physicians.

Jones defended her government's plan to replace Ontario doctors who are retiring.

“[Retirements] are exactly why we have made the investments we are making. Expanding access to medical schools, expanding the number of seats, expanding the number of medical schools in the province of Ontario,” she said.

Liberal health critic Dr. Speaking with Crombie at Queen's Park, Adil Shamji said it's not just about GP graduates.

“There are currently about 17,000 primary care physicians in Ontario and about 6,000 of them do not practice family medicine,” he said. “What we need, first of all, are more primary care physicians, but we also need more primary care physicians practicing family medicine.”

He said there are many who completed family medicine training before deciding to pursue a career in emergency medicine.

Province expands the role of nurses

The Liberals also say the report shows there are 205 communities in Ontario — mostly rural ones — that don't have a primary care physician taking new patients.

Dr. Dominik Nowak, president of the Ontario Medical Association, said the situation in family medicine in Ontario “is not just a crisis, it's a catastrophe.”

“There are many communities where mayors, chambers of commerce and citizens tell me that almost one in two people cannot find a primary care physician,” he said.

He welcomed the government's decision to appoint Dr. Tapping Jane Philpott, a former federal Liberal health minister, to lead a team to connect Ontarians with a primary care physician is a step in the right direction. Philpott declined a request to be interviewed for this story.

The report shared by the Liberals also shows that 4.1 million people are not scheduled or do not have access to a GP. Not being on the list means they don't have a stable relationship with their primary care doctor, Shamji said, although he acknowledged that some of those people may see a nurse practitioner or see a pediatrician as children.

On Thursday, the province announced that it will expand the practice space for practice assistants.

The government is planning regulatory changes to allow nurses to order and fit a defibrillator, order and fit a pacemaker, and order and carry out electrocoagulation, a process to treat skin conditions and lesions.

Ontario also allows registered nurses to certify a death when it is expected, and allows nurse practitioners to certify deaths in more circumstances.

The changes will take effect from July 1, 2025.