Ontario connecting more than 5,000 new people to primary care in Kawartha Lakes

The Ontario government is taking the next steps to deliver its Primary Care Action Plan, which is on track to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.

As part of this plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team, the Ontario Government has invested $1,834,000.00 this year to connect up to 5,434 people to primary care in Kawartha Lakes.

“This investment of $1.8 million to expand primary care services in the City of Kawartha Lakes will connect more than five-thousand local residents to the high-quality public health care they need and deserve,” said MPP Laurie Scott. “This funding is another important step toward supporting our health‐care providers, strengthening local health‐care infrastructure, and advancing our goal of ensuring that every person in Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock has access to a primary care provider by 2029.”

The City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team will use these funds to hire additional health professionals, significantly improving local residents’ access to comprehensive, team-based care – including those who do not currently have primary care. The City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team will establish a process to accept new patients and will communicate this to their local community.

The City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team was funded through the latest call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan, with all 124 teams receiving funding expected to connect another 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario. Each team has established a plan to attach a high proportion of unattached people in their community, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.

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.

“This investment is a clear recognition by the government of the importance of family health care to our patients and communities. What we are building with partners will have such a significant impact. We are truly stronger when we work together,” noted Dr. Ruth Wilson, president of the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team and local Primary Care Clinical Lead.

“These newly funded health professionals will help us reach more patients and get them connected to a doctor or nurse practitioner. This funding will also make our local health care stronger and helps address the gaps in rural Ontario,” added Mike Perry, executive director. 

Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Alexander welcomed the news. “This funding strengthens the role of primary care as a cornerstone of an effective and sustainable healthcare system. It also affirms that health equity must guide how we connect people to care, ensuring that those who are most vulnerable and underserved have meaningful access to care.”

The province has also exceeded its 2025-2026 attachment goal under the Primary Care Action Plan, which was to connect 300,000 patients to a primary care provider by March 31. As of January 1, the province has already attached 330,000 people to care in 2025-2026, surpassing its goal by more than 30,000 with three months still to go.

“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 the City of Kawartha Lakes, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.

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