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Ontario Connecting More than 800 People to Primary Care in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke

May 1, 2026

Over $1 Million investment brings the province one step closer to connecting everyone in Ontario to primary care by 2029

PIKWAKANAGAN — 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 is investing more than $1,049,900 this year to connect up to 861 people to primary care in the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan.

“Access to primary care is one of the most important issues facing families in Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke, and this investment is a meaningful step forward for our community. By supporting AoPFN Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization, we are helping connect more people in Pikwakanagan to the care they need, closer to home. Our government remains committed to ensuring every Ontarian has access to a family doctor or primary care team by 2029.”
– Billy Denault, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke

AoPFN Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization will establish a process to accept new patients and will communicate this to their local community.

The AoPFN Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization 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 represents an important opportunity to expand our team and build stronger, more integrated partnerships across Renfrew County to improve access to primary care for Indigenous people. It strengthens our ability to attach patients who are currently without a provider, while ensuring care is coordinated, culturally safe, and responsive to the needs of our community. Most importantly, it means individuals and families can access the support they need, when and where they need it.”
-Maureen Sarazin Tomasini, our Health Services Manager

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, 2026. As of January 1, 2026, 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 Pikwakanagan, 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.

QUICK FACTS

  • Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team is drawing on best-in-class models of care to implement its action plan, supported by the government’s investment of more than $3.4 billion to connect approximately two million more people to primary care by 2029, which will achieve the government’s goal of connecting everyone in the province to primary care.
  • The government is making significant progress on its goal of clearing the Health Care Connect waitlist as of January 1, 2025. That waitlist has been reduced by more than 87 per cent as the plan continues to hit its targets and deliver faster access to high-quality care.
  • Ontarians looking to find a family doctor or nurse practitioner can register with Health Care Connect or call 811.
  • Since 2018, Ontario has added nearly 20,000 additional physicians to its health-care workforce, including an over 14 per cent increase in family doctors.
 

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Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:

Krystal Moreau, Constituency Assistant
Office of Billy Denault, MPP
613-735-6627
krystal.moreau@pc.ola.org