Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley,
“Timely access to a family doctor is a necessity for a healthy and thriving community, and I am pleased to see the progress Niagara has made in bringing new physicians to the region. Thanks to the ongoing collaboration and joint efforts of the Region, the area municipalities, our health care system and many other partners, more and more family doctors are choosing Niagara as the place to set up practice, and I look forward to seeing continued success in this regard over the coming year.” – Jim Bradley, Niagara Regional Chair
News from Niagara’s Regional Government
Posted March 22th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Niagara, Ontario – Niagara Region has made significant progress in addressing the physician shortage over the past year, with the net addition of 16 family physicians since January 2024, resulting in a net increase of 15,527 patients receiving access to primary care.
This improvement reflects ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare services throughout the region, ensuring that residents have timely and equitable access to family doctors. This figure reflects the addition of 26 new physicians over the past year, offset by 10 who left practice during the same period.
The largest gains were seen in St. Catharines (+8 physicians, +5,910 enrolled patients) and Welland (+6 physicians, +8,086 enrolled patients), with Niagara Falls also experiencing a net increase of two physicians, providing care to an additional 1,041 patients.
These successes highlight the effectiveness of recruitment and onboarding strategies and the importance of expanding the physician workforce.
While most municipalities have experienced stability or growth in physician numbers, continued attention to areas like Niagara-on-the-Lake and Thorold will be crucial to sustaining this positive trend and further strengthening access to care across the region.
This positive momentum is the result of collaborative efforts between municipal partners, healthcare organizations, and recruitment initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining physicians across Niagara.
In November of 2024, the Region hosted a community roundtable that brought together 35 community leaders and experts, who explored new ways Niagara can work as a team to bring even more family physicians to the region. Results from the roundtable were shared with Regional Council on March 20, and included a host of key findings that will help inform the creation of a long-term Physician Recruitment Strategy for all of Niagara.
Residents who are looking for a family doctor are encouraged to visit Niagara Region’s Find a Doctor webpage [https://www.niagararegion.ca/health/find-a-doctor.aspx] for available resources and support in connecting with a physician.
Niagara Region Family Physician & Patient Growth DataTotal for Niagara Region (February 2025)Family Physician Count: 252Enrolled Patient Count: 345,435Net new Physicians: +16Net new enrolled Patients: +15,527
Fort Erie – Family physician count in January 2024: 12Family physician count in February 2025: 13Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 24,349Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 24,248Physician change: +1Patient change: -101- Grimsby – Family physician count in January 2024: 20Family physician count in February 2025: 20Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 25,064Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 25,254Physician change: 0Patient change: +190
- Lincoln – Family physician count in January 2024: 17Family physician count in February 2025: 17Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 22,590Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 22,655Physician change: 0Patient change: +65
- Niagara Falls – Family physician count in January 2024: 34Family physician count in February 2025: 36Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 55,342Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 56,383Physician change: +2Patient change: +1,041
- Niagara-on-the-Lake- Family physician count in January 2024: 11Family physician count in February 2025: 10Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 12,343Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 11,957Physician change: -1Patient change: -386
- Pelham- Family physician count in January 2024: 13Family physician count in February 2025: 13Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 14,503Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 14,609Physician change: 0Patient change: +106
- Port Colborne – Family physician count in January 2024: 9Family physician count in February 2025: 9Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 11,185Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 11,116Physician change: 0Patient change: -69
- St. Catharines – Family physician count in January 2024: 76Family physician count in February 2025: 84Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 102,864Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 108,774Physician change: +8Patient change: +5,910
- Thorold – Family physician count in January 2024: 14Family physician count in February 2025: 13Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 19,431Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 18,570Physician change: -1Patient change: -861
- Wainfleet – Family physician count in January 2024: 0Family physician count in February 2025: 0Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 0Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 0Physician change: 0Patient change: 0
- Welland – Family physician count in January 2024: 22Family physician count in February 2025: 28Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 31,997Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 40,083Physician change: +6Patient change: +8,086
- West Lincoln – Family physician count in January 2024: 8Family physician count in February 2025: 9Enrolled patient count in January 2024: 10,240Enrolled patient count in February 2025: 11,786Physician change: +1Patient change: +1,546
Data for family physician and patient counts is sourced from the Ministry of Health’s Data Analytics Branch
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