I’m proud to rise today to speak in support of this motion to address the doctor shortage crisis in Ontario by providing more administrative support, freeing up Ontario’s doctors to take on tens of thousands more patients.

Currently, 73,000 people in the Niagara region do not have a family doctor, a sharp increase from 53,000 in 2023. This is not sustainable. What’s worse, this number is expected to explode to over 140,000 in Niagara by 2026. Welland has around four family physicians per 10,000 people, the lowest ratio in the region. Port Colborne has a population of about 20,000; roughly 10,000—half of them—are without a family doctor and rely on the urgent care centre, which is slated to close, as their primary point of health care.

Dr. Ahmed, a family physician from Niagara, spoke with the media recently and said, “I looked at the numbers ... and I was saddened but not shocked.” Several factors are driving the increasing shortage, she said, and they include an increased administrative burden “that has been foisted upon us by the powers that be,” as well as compensation that is not keeping up with inflation, “so physicians are struggling to keep their doors open.” Ahmed said family doctors spend an average of 19 hours per week, more than two full days’ work, in Niagara on administrative work.

Speaker, this government should support our common-sense motion to invest in administrative staff and integrated care options, which would unlock more time for doctors to care for thousands of patients in Niagara and across Ontario who are desperate for a family doctor right now.