The Town of Bracebridge is urging Ontario’s government to “recognize the physician shortage in Bracebridge and Ontario, to fund healthcare appropriately, and ensure every Ontarian has access to physician care.”
The item was a topic of discussion during the Aug. 6 General Committee meeting. Bracebridge’s Mayor Rick Maloney pointed out he will be joined by three of his council colleagues and Stephen Rettie, the town’s chief administrative officer, at the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario meeting in Ottawa this week for multiple meetings, including one with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). He said they will discuss how doctor recruitment can be supported at the municipal level.
In Jan. 2024, OMA released data that shows 2.3 million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor, adding it could “nearly double” in the next two years.
According to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, northern Ontario is short around 350 physicians – which includes more than 200 family doctors – with half of the active physicians in the region preparing to retire within the next five years.
Maloney pointed out how doctors are retiring, but not being replaced. He cites data from the Ontario College of Family Physicians that shows 77 percent of family doctors in Ontario were spending most of their time practicing family medicine, but that number dropped to 65 percent in 2022.
He said a “key entry point” to the healthcare system is having a family doctor. “You’re struggling right out of the gate,” continued Maloney.
During the discussion, Maloney brought up how some municipalities are offering incentive programs to recruit physicians. “That puts municipalities in competition with each other and that shouldn’t be the case for doctors,” he said.
While they weren’t directly mentioned, Huntsville council passed a physician recruitment incentive program in May 2024.
“Success won’t be through any one municipality offering incentives that may entice doctors to a community,” said Maloney. “I think that’s not the sage approach that you want to have when it comes to medical professionals.”
He added he doesn’t agree with municipalities who have taken that approach.
District Coun. Tatiana Sutherland, without directly referencing a specific municipality, called incentive-based packages an “immature approach” and similar to the movie “Hunger Games.”
“We’re creating a two tired system where municipalities that maybe have a little bit of extra money or have populations that are willing to chip in are able to entice doctors or physicians over municipalities that might not have those kinds of resources,” she explained.
