Canada spends near the top of OECD countries on health care as a percentage of GDP, yet our performance ranks near the bottom. If other publicly-funded health care systems can do better, why can’t we? Supporting Ontario’s public universal health care system should not mean passively accepting long wait times for service.

It’s time to say – loudly, and with our votes – we’ve waited long enough.

We’ve waited long enough in Emergency Rooms (ER).

• In Ontario, patients wait nearly a day- over 20 hours- before being moved into the hospital system when they are admitted through the ER. Keep in mind that most patients are forced to come through the ER.
• According to the hospitals’ own data, only 26% of patients who were admitted from ER get a bed within 8 hours, meeting the provincial target time. In some hospitals, that number is as high as 50 hours.
• We’re waiting a long time for an initial assessment, too – an average of 3.5 hours, but as high as 5.2 hours Windsor, just to be seen by an ER doctor.

We’ve waited long enough to see a specialist.

• In 2024, physicians across Canada reported a median wait time of 30 weeks between a referral from a general practitioner (GP) and the patient receiving the recommended treatment. This has increased from 27.7 weeks in 2023, almost a whole month of additional waiting. In Ontario specifically, it is 23.6 weeks of waiting. In addition, there are another 10.9 weeks patients wait for the actual treatment. That’s more than a third of a year from the initial family doctor visit. In some categories with high relevance to older Canadians such as orthopedic surgery, waiting times can span to 57.5 weeks. 
• As of 2019, there were 168 geriatricians and 151 Care-of-the Elderly (COE) physicians in Ontario. Unfortunately, these numbers have not kept up with the increasing population of seniors. There is a critical need to expand Specialized Geriatric Services.
• Ontario is facing a GP shortage in every region of the province. A staggering 2.3 million people are already without a family physician. This number is expected to nearly double in only 2 years. According to HealthForceOntario, there are more than 2,500 physicians needed in Ontario alone. 

We’ve waited long enough to access diagnostics.

• In Ontario, the average wait time is 12 weeks for an MRI scan and 6 weeks for a CT scan as of 2024, a big increase from 2022 which were 8 hours and 4 hours respectively. In Windsor & Ottawa, there are those having to wait as long as 44 weeks for CT scans & 42 weeks for MRI.

CARP Demands:

• Increasing investment in human healthcare resources (doctors, nurses, PSWs) to clear healthcare backlogs left over from the pandemic and exasperated by an aging population.
• Improving performance tracking with measurable targets for reducing wait times. 
• More investments in healthcare recruitment and training, focusing on specialists for seniors.(Geriatricians, Endocrinologists, Ophthalmologists, etc.)

CARP has consistently fought for the end of hallway medicine and reducing long wait times—whether for specialist appointments, ER visits or diagnostic tests. This is because the consequences of delayed care can produce serious outcomes; seniors often experience increased pain, reduced quality of mobility, and worsening health while waiting for treatment or even to see a specialist. These long wait times can impose significant stress on all Ontarians, affecting their social, mental, and economic well-being.  

Despite promises to reduce wait times, end hallway medicine, and improve healthcare access, the Ontario government (2022-2024) has made little progress. A more focused and aggressive approach is necessary to implement the required reforms and meet the needs of patients. CARP remains committed to ensuring that these improvements are prioritized so that all Canadians, especially seniors, receive timely and high-quality care.

Government response to the ‘CARP 5’

Current Wait Times as of 2024

• Ontario had the shortest surgical wait times in Canada by July 2024.
• Average wait time for in-patient hospital beds: 21.4 hours. 
• First assessment wait time in Emergency Departments (ED): 2.1 hours.
• Low-urgency ED patients spend 3.4 hours; 70% leave with the target of 4 hours.
• High-urgency, non-admitted patients stay 4.7 hours; 88% leave within 8 hours.
• Only 26% of admitted patients get a bed within the target of 8 hours. 

“Your Health: a Plan for Connected and Convenient Care” (2023)

• New investments include adding 14,000 cataract surgeries and 49,000 hours of MRI/CT scans among other procedures. 
• $110 million is invested to connect 328,000 more Ontarians to primary care.
• Paramedics in over 40 communities can now treat some patients at home, reducing emergency room (ER) visits.

Leadership and Future Planning 

• Dr. Jane Philpott leads a plan to connect every Ontario resident to primary healthcare within five years. As of January 2025, her team announced an investment of $1.8 billion to connect two million more people to family doctors or primary care.
• A new medical school at York University focuses on training family doctors to improve access to primary care.

Full Brief

Ontario’s healthcare system is overwhelmed with high waiting times, a shortage of doctors in all fields and other health personnel, and an increasing demand from an aging population that will continue to display shortcomings of the healthcare system. This brief highlights the current situation and government initiatives the Ontario government has made to reduce waiting times since 2022. 

CURRENT WAIT TIMES (as of 2024) 

Recent data from the Healthy Quality Ontario (as of November 2024) show the following:

• Ontario had the shortest surgical wait times in Canada by July 2024.
• Average wait time for in-patient hospital beds: 21.4 hours. 
• First assessment wait time in ED: 2.1 hours.
• Low-urgency ED patients spend 3.4 hours; 70% leave with the target of 4 hours.
• High-urgency, non-admitted patients stay 4.7 hours; 88% leave within 8 hours.
• Only 26% of admitted patients get a bed within the target of 8 hours. 

GOVERNMENT ACTIONS

“Your Health: a Plan for Connected and Convenient Care” (2023)

• The plan focuses on bringing care closer to home and reducing surgical backlogs to pre-pandemic levels. This includes:
  • Adding 14,000 OHIP-covered annual cataract surgeries with an investment of $18 million. 
  • 49,000 more hours of MRI and CT scans, 4800 cataract surgeries, 900 other ophthalmic surgeries, 1000 minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries, and 2845 plastic surgeries.
  • Expanding 9-1-1 models of care in 40+ communities, allowing paramedics to treat patients at home and reducing ER visits. 

Expanding Primary Care

• Investing $110 million for 2025 to fund 78 new/expanded primary care teams to connect 328,000 more Ontarians to a primary care team. 
• Increased the number of seats in medical schools and nursing programs to train more healthcare professionals. 
• A new medical school at York University will focus on training family physicians (the first in Canada with such a focus).  
• Financial incentives for internationally trained healthcare workers to expand capacity and reduce wait times. 

Leadership and Future Planning 

• Dr. Jane Philpott appointed as Chair of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team in December 2024 
• A 100-day action plan launched with a mandate to connect every person in the province to primary health care within the next 5 years. 
• As of January 2025, an investment of $1.8 billion to connect two million more people to family doctors or primary care teams by 2029.
• Some key initiatives of the Primary Care Action Team Plan 
  • Creating and expanding 305 additional teams to connect 2 million people to primary care. 
  • Allocating $235 million in 2025-2026 to establish and expand 80 additional primary care teams across the province.
  • Connecting all Health Care Connect waitlist patients (as of January 2025) to a primary care team by Spring 2026.