Advocacy in Action

Advocacy for Primary Care: Empowering Ontario’s Healthcare Future

At AFHTO, we believe Primary Care Teams are at the heart of Ontario’s healthcare system. They provide comprehensive care that reduces costs, improves patient outcomes, and helps avoid unnecessary visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions. These teams—like Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, and other innovative care models—are essential to meeting the growing demand for high-quality, accessible care across Ontario's diverse communities.

Our advocacy efforts are focused on securing sustainable, equitable funding for these teams. By advancing policies that integrate Primary Care Teams into Ontario’s healthcare reform, we ensure they are part of the solution to pressing challenges like long wait times and limited access to care. Investing in Primary Care Teams means investing in a healthier, more efficient healthcare system for all Ontarians.

Join us as we continue to push for policies that support these vital teams, reduce system-wide pressures, and improve health outcomes for every Ontarian. Together, we’re shaping the future of healthcare!

Meeting with Dr. Jane Philpott and Primary Care Action Table (PCAT)

On January 14, AFHTO and the Primary Care Collaborative had a highly productive meeting with Dr. Philpott, marking an important step forward in advancing primary care in Ontario. Dr. Philpott expressed a strong commitment to working closely with our organizations, setting a collaborative tone that will guide our efforts moving forward.

To support this collaboration, we’ve provided Dr. Philpott with a comprehensive letter that outlines key recommendations designed to inform and guide her work in addressing the province's primary care needs.

In addition to the recommendations, we are also undertaking crucial technical work to help Dr. Philpott and her team better understand the unique strengths and challenges of various models of care, including Family Health Teams (FHTs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics (NPLCs), and others. This foundational work will provide essential insights to ensure a well-informed, effective approach to tackling Ontario’s primary care challenges.

Furthermore, AFHTO is actively supporting the Primary Care Advisory Table (PCAT), offering our expertise on several thematic areas where they are seeking guidance. Together, we are shaping the future of primary care in Ontario, working to ensure all Ontarians have access to high-quality, accessible care.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this critical work!

Election Advocacy

Provincial Election Anticipation and Member Engagement

The writ has dropped, and the election period is running from January 30th to February 27th.

AFHTO is actively updating resources and opportunities to support our member and communities during this pivotal time.

Election Resources: A comprehensive suite of advocacy resources has been developed in collaboration with Santis Health to empower primary health care workers to engage effectively with political leaders and candidates. These resources include key messaging and practical tools and are available through our Member's Only section.

Advocacy Achievements

Pre-Budget Submissions

1. AFHTO has officially submitted our 2025 pre-budget submission. This document, grounded in key recommendations inspired by our members, has been shared with the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, the Primary Care Action Table, and key political stakeholders.

We've prepared a one-pager that summarizes the pre-budget asks as you meet with MPPs over the next week.

2. AFHTO has collaborated on a joint Primary Care Collaborative pre-budget submission, demonstrating sector-wide unity on urgent priorities.

3. AFHTO has worked with partners in other community health sectors to finalize our Health Human Resources (HHR)-specific submission. This document was developed in collaboration with nine other provincial associations, builds on the success of the November 2024 Queen’s Park Advocacy Day, and includes targeted recommendations to address workforce challenges.

Contract Modernization Advocacy Win

We are pleased to confirm that Family Health Team and Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic TPA's will be extended until March 31, 2027. The work on contract modernization will be happening in parallel. Ontario Health has signaled that there will be a move to global budgets for Family Health Teams, which represents a significant advocacy success for AFHTO. In addition, we can confirm that EOI funded teams will be getting two-year funding extensions. .

Health Human Resource (HHR) Advocacy Success

AFHTO’s HHR advocacy efforts have gained significant momentum, partnering with 9 provincial community organizations on the #ForUsForYou campaign. It has included securing over 10,000 signatures on the petition for wage parity. Thank you to our members for your incredible support in driving this initiative forward. If you have not yet signed the petition, please do so here.

Member Advocacy Success!!!

Congratulations to our members for achieving participation in 100% of the government’s local pre-budget consultations. This is an incredible milestone and speaks to your ability to engage in grassroots advocacy.

Here is a list of our members who participated and that AFHTO supported:

East End FHT (Timmins-James Bay)

Timmins Academic FHT (Timmins-James Bay)

Northeastern Manitoulin FHT (Algoma-Manitoulin)

Manitoulin Central FHT (Algoma-Manitoulin)

Municipality of Assiginack FHT (Algoma-Manitoulin)

Sunset Country FHT (Kenora-Rainy River)

STAR FHT (Perth-Wellington)

Minto-Mapleton FHT (Perth-Wellington)

Clarence-Rockland FHT, representing the Champlain FHT ED group (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell)

Équipe de santé communautaire de l`Est d`Ottawa, representing the Champlain FHT ED group (Ottawa-Vanier)

Erie Shores FHT (Chatham Kent-Essex)

Windsor FHT (Windsor West)

Hamilton FHT (Hamilton Centre)

Beamsville FHT (Niagara West-Glanbrook)

Peterborough FHT (Peterborough)

Members in the News

#ItTakesaTeam One of key benefits of being an AFHTO member is the ability to strengthen our collective voice in advocacy. AFHTO has worked closely with many of its members during the pre-budget phase in Ontario as well as during the Election cycle. Here are just a few examples to show the magnitude of effort! Thank you to our teams!

Feb 6th 2025