Ontario is expanding access to family doctors and primary care teams in Brantford as part of a $3.4-billion provincial strategy aimed at connecting every resident with primary care by 2029.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sylvia Jones visited the Grand River Community Health Centre in Brantford on September 1, highlighting the organization’s progress in attaching thousands of patients to primary care. The centre is among nearly 200 teams receiving provincial support through Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan.
The Brantford organization received $812,600 through the 2025-26 call for proposals and began attaching patients to care in August 2025. Since then, it has connected nearly 3,200 patients, reaching more than 121 per cent of its original target of 2,625.
Brantford Health Centre Exceeds Patient Target
The funding is designed to expand team-based primary care and reduce pressure elsewhere in Ontario’s health system, including hospital emergency departments.
“As we work to connect everyone to primary care by 2029, our government is protecting Ontario’s health-care system by investing in new and expanded primary care teams in Ontario communities, including Brantford, that will keep families healthier while relieving pressures on emergency departments,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “We encourage those looking for a new family doctor or primary care provider to sign up for Health Care Connect, the fastest and most seamless way to get connected to a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team.”
Ontario says nearly 90 per cent of residents are currently connected to a primary care provider. The government’s broader objective is to eliminate the remaining gap by 2029.
Primary Care Action Plan Targets Two Million More Patients
The province established its Primary Care Action Plan in January 2025 after appointing Dr. Jane Philpott as chair of the Primary Care Action Team in October 2024.
Backed by more than $3.4 billion in provincial investment, the plan is intended to connect approximately two million additional people with primary care by 2029.
Two funding rounds for new and expanded primary care teams have so far resulted in 199 successful applicants. Those interprofessional teams are expected to connect about 800,000 additional people with primary care across Ontario.
The province also plans another call for proposals to create or expand approximately 78 primary care teams, with the goal of connecting another 600,000 people to care.
Separately, 124 successful applicants under the 2026-27 funding round are expected to connect another 500,000 patients, including people currently on the Health Care Connect waitlist.
Ontario Focuses on Workforce and Digital Health Expansion
The province is also advancing a provincewide Primary Care Medical Record system designed to better integrate patient records, improve coordination and reduce administrative workloads for physicians and other primary care providers.
Ontario says more than 20,000 physicians have been added to the health-care workforce since 2018, including an increase of more than 14 per cent in the number of family doctors.
Efforts to recruit internationally are also part of the strategy. In 2025, more than 2,300 nurses and over 570 doctors licensed or certified in the United States chose to practise in Ontario, according to the province.
Local Leaders Point to Brantford Progress
Brantford-area officials said the results at Grand River Community Health Centre demonstrate how provincial funding and local health organizations can work together to expand patient access.
“Connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care by 2029 means working closely with local partners like the Grand River Community Health Centre. By exceeding its primary care attachment targets, the team is helping more people and families in our community connect to the high-quality care they need, closer to home. I want to thank everyone involved for their dedication and Minister Jones for her continued support of our community.”
– Will Bouma
MPP for Brantford—Brant
Grand River Community Health Centre also highlighted collaboration across Brantford, Brant and Norfolk as an important component of its expansion.
“Grand River Community Health Centre has worked collaboratively to expand primary care attachment in Brantford, Brant and Norfolk. Together we have successfully increased primary care attachment in 2025-26 and are continuing to increase primary care attachment with our recent funding. We are thankful for this support from the Ministry of Health.”
– Lynda Kohler
Executive Director, Grand River Community Health Centre
With additional primary care teams, workforce recruitment and digital health investments underway, Ontario is positioning the Brantford expansion as part of a provincewide effort to improve access to community-based care while reducing demand on hospitals.