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The Ford government says it’s taking bold action to reduce wait times for orthopedic surgeries across the province.
Ontario announced a $125 million investment this week that will fund up to 20,000 hip and knee replacement procedures over two years at community surgical centres. The province says this expansion is designed to connect more people to publicly funded care, faster and closer to home.
According to the Ministry of Health, Ontario currently has the shortest surgical wait times in Canada, and the new funding is expected to ensure 90 per cent of patients receive orthopedic procedures within clinically recommended timeframes.
The call for applications opened July 2 and runs until August 27, 2025. The province says successful applicants will receive new licences to perform these surgeries starting in early 2026.
This announcement builds on previous provincial investments, including $155 million to expand diagnostic imaging at 57 centres and $235 million to support more than 130 primary care teams across Ontario.
The province says all community surgical and diagnostic centres must follow strict quality assurance standards and may not charge patients for faster access to insured services.
The initiative is part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, Ontario’s broader strategy to strengthen public health care access.
More details are available at ontario.ca.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
