Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith has announced that the Ontario government is taking the next steps to deliver its Primary Care Action Plan to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.
As part of this plan, the Ontario government is investing $4,513,300 this year to connect up to 10,447 people to primary care across Parry Sound-Muskoka.
“Our government is making record investments in health care and taking real action to connect more people in Parry Sound-Muskoka to the care they need,” said Graydon Smith. “This funding will help our family health teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics create more spaces for patients, recruit more doctors and nurse practitioners, and connect more residents to primary care. While there is still more work to do, this investment is another important step forward in our plan to ensure everyone in our community can access a family doctor or primary care provider. I’m proud to see Parry Sound-Muskoka benefit from our government’s continued commitment to strengthening local health care.”
“Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and have already exceeded our 2025-26 attachment target,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By connecting more families to care in Parry Sound and Muskoka, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”
The Cottage Country Family Health Team, which serves South Muskoka, will receive $2,136,800 to help connect 6,090 patients to primary care.
“CCFHT is honoured to receive $2.1 million in provincial funding as part of Ontario’s plan to expand primary care teams, enabling us to attach more than 5,000 permanent residents to primary care across Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Muskoka Lakes, and Wahta,” said Trish Mintz, Executive Director of the Cottage Country Family Health Team. “…this announcement represents a meaningful and much-needed win for the entire region, strengthening access to care for the communities we collectively serve.”
The West Parry Sound Health Centre Rural Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic will receive $1,140,500 to help connect 2,021 patients to primary care across the West Parry Sound region.
“On behalf of the West Parry Sound Health Centre (WPSHC) Rural Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, I am thrilled that the proposal to expand access to interprofessional primary care in West Parry Sound was successful,” said Victoria Langley, Chief Nursing Officer of the West Parry Sound Health Centre. “This expansion reflects a highly coordinated, region-wide effort. The strength of this proposal was grounded in true co-design across primary care organizations, clinical leadership, and system partners. This investment will enable us to attach more patients to a consistent primary care provider and team, improving continuity, access, and long-term health outcomes for our communities. It will also support a seamless, patient-centred primary care system that connects residents of the West Parry Sound region to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
The Algonquin Family Health Team and North Muskoka Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, which serves North Muskoka, will receive $620,100 to help connect 1,680 patients to primary care. The Wasauksing First Nation Health Department will receive $615,900 to help connect 656 patients to primary care.
“With increased base funding for both the North Muskoka NPLC and the Algonquin FHT, our teams will hire additional nurse practitioners to attach patients to primary care, providing access to ongoing service for 1,600 community members in need,” says Leanna Lefebvre, NP Clinic Lead of North Muskoka Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, and Janine van den Heuvel, ED/CEO of Algonquin Family Health Team in a statement.
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. The province has also exceeded its 2025-26 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 had already connected 330,000 people to care in 2025-26, surpassing its goal by more than 30,000 with three months still to go.
A news release states, “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.”
Since 2018, Ontario has added nearly 20,000 physicians to its health-care workforce, including more than a 14 per cent increase in family doctors.
