The Fort Frances Family Health Team has received almost $900,000 in funding under an Ontario government initiative to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.
The $878,300 will help connect over 2,000 area residents with a primary care provider, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford said in a press release announcing the funding.
“Through this investment, we celebrate the work taking place on the ground, which is entirely consistent with the trajectory of healthcare in our region,” Rickford said.
“It takes good people, strong leaders and continued partnerships to ensure that our healthcare systems here in Fort Frances are responsive and serve our community.”
The Fort Frances Family Health Team provides expanded access to primary healthcare through a suite of inter-professional providers. It will establish a process to accept new patients and communicate this to the local community, according to the release.
The funding is provided under the Primary Care Action Plan, with all 124 teams in the province expected to connect 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario. Each team has established a plan to find a family doctor for high proportion of people in their community who are currently without one, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.
The province is also increasing overall funding for the plan in the 2026 Budget, to a total of $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.
Health team Executive Director Tara Tolley said the funding will help it improve access to healthcare in the area.
“The Fort Frances Family Health Team is thrilled to receive this expansion funding through Ontario Health, and we acknowledge the Ministry of Health’s ongoing commitment to strengthening primary care,” she said.
“We are grateful to the Hon. Greg Rickford for joining us in announcing this important investment and for their support in highlighting the needs of our community. “This investment represents an important step toward improving access to care in our community and building a more connected, sustainable system. We know that continued commitment to growth and improvement will be essential to achieving meaningful, long-term impact for the individuals we serve.”
The Family Health Team is partnered with the Fort Frances Physicians group and other organizations, which will help to establish connections between patients and primary care providers.
“Through our strong collaboration with the Fort Frances Physicians Group, the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario, and our partnership with the Rainy River District Ontario Health Team, we remain dedicated to expanding access to care and supporting more individuals in establishing lasting relationships with a primary care provider, ultimately improving health outcomes across our district.”
The province says it has also exceeded its 2025-26 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 Jan. 1, 2026, the province has already attached 330,000 people to care, surpassing its goal by more than 30,000 with three months still to go.
Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said the provincial government is trying to connect every resident to primary care by 2029.
“Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and have already exceeded our 2025-26 attachment target,” she said. “By connecting more families to care in Fort Frances, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”
The Fort Frances Physicians Group recently announced that new physicians will be joining its team, and those seeking a primary care doctor should sign up on their waiting list at ffpg.ca.
