The primary care crisis in Ontario is real, documented, and accelerating. This is our attempt to do something about it.
Primary care is the foundation of a good health system. At its best, it means a long, meaningful relationship with a doctor or nurse practitioner who knows you — your family, your history, your circumstances. Someone who can guide you through prevention and illness, keep your records in one place, and be there when you need them. That's what we should all have.
The reality is more complicated. Across Canada, nearly 6 million people lack access to primary care. While Ontario performs best among the provinces for attachment, there are still over 2 million Ontarians without a family doctor or NP — a number that is getting worse, not better. The crisis is real, documented, and accelerating.
The harms of being unattached are real and well-documented. Without primary care, you are significantly less likely to be screened for important cancers — research from Ontario shows that unattached patients are roughly 20 percentage points behind on breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening compared to those with a family doctor. Beyond screening, losing a connection to primary care increases the risk of mortality — both in the general population and in patients with multiple chronic conditions. And beyond the human cost, later disease detection, higher emergency room use, and less coordinated care carries substantial cost to the system — a cost for which no one is currently accountable.
The purpose of this site is to help the 2 million Ontarians without primary care navigate a system that wasn't designed with them in mind. If you're looking for a family doctor or NP, we've gathered your real options in one place — from clinics accepting patients to provincial and local waitlists. If you already know the wait will be long, we can help reduce the harm of that wait: what screening you're due for and how to access it, free provincial programs for mental health, nutrition and more, and practical guidance for managing your health without a regular provider.
This site is free, and is not meant to replace having a family doctor or NP. It is, however, a declaration that our primary care system is currently unable to care for all Ontarians. The harms are real — but they are not inevitable. This site is an attempt to reduce them while the primary care crisis is being addressed. Your health cannot wait that long. It matters too much.
Written by a practicing Ontario family physician working in urgent care in the GTA. This site is published under Building Block Health.
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