'We need to do better': Halton urges Province to act on growing healthcare crisis

Halton Region is calling on the Ontario government to tackle the province’s healthcare crisis, which it says now has two million residents lacking access to primary care.

In a unanimous vote, regional council members passed a motion brought forward by Burlington councillor Rory Nisan, who highlighted the pressures facing the healthcare system.

“This is a call to action to the provincial government to step up and provide the level of service that we would all expect,” he said at this week's meeting.

The motion detailed the “crisis” in Ontario, with 2.3 million residents lacking access to a family doctor, emergency rooms closing and 40 per cent of family doctors considering retirement within five years. 

It also noted that Ontario spends less per capita on healthcare than any other province, while the demand for services continues to rise, especially in fast-growing regions like Halton.

A recent report by The Trillium revealed nearly 2,000 patients per day were placed in — essentially — hallway healthcare in Ontario hospitals in January 2024, the highest since tracking began in July 2017.

At the meeting, Halton Hills councillor Jane Fogal stressed the importance of maintaining pressure on the government.

“We've all seen a decline in public health in Ontario,” Fogal said, sharing that her young family doctor is quitting due to overwhelming administrative burdens. “There's something in the system that's making family doctors want to leave.”

“Public health is a foundation of what makes us Canadians, and we've got to support it, keep it and not let the privatization that is happening keep going.”

Milton councillor Sameera Ali added: “I think we need to do better, so hopefully all of the movement that is created around this advocacy will help to fill in some really critical gaps in the crisis we face.”

The motion calls for the provincial government to:

• Recognize that healthcare in Ontario is in a state of crisis
• Develop a provincial health human resource strategy to improve access to health services across the province
• Provide adequate funding for healthcare in Ontario communities as well as critical regional health and social services including public health, long-term care, and paramedic services in order to respond to increasing community needs.