The CEO of the Peterborough Family Health Team is urging the Ontario government to address ongoing wage, funding and administrative challenges facing primary care teams, despite recent provincial investments.
Duff Sprague appeared before the province’s pre-budget consultation committee on December 5th, saying family health teams remain under strain after years of wage stagnation and rising demand.
Sprague told the committee that clinician salaries at family health teams have lagged far behind public sector increases, noting a 2023 compensation study found primary care roles are paid 15 to 40 per cent below market value.
He also highlighted access pressures, with PFHT clinics serving nearly 6,000 unattached patients, a figure growing by about 2,500 annually.
Sprague also criticized tight budget controls that limit flexibility and called on the province to improve compensation, expand team-based care, reduce administrative burdens and increase base funding to keep pace with inflation.
He warned that expanding training alone will not fix Ontario’s primary care crisis without better working conditions and fair pay.
(Written by: Jordan Mercier)
