Amherstburg Town Council is calling on the provincial government to help address a growing shortage of family doctors and nurse practitioners in the community. During a meeting on March 9, 2026, council members directed town staff to work with local healthcare partners and petition the province for support in recruiting new primary care providers to the area.
The move follows a presentation to the town by the Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. The presentation highlighted that a significant number of local residents are currently without a family physician, mirroring a broader issue across the province where more than 2.5 million Ontarians lack access to primary care.
Regional data shows that 32,118 people in Windsor-Essex County are not connected to a primary care provider, a figure that includes 6,998 children between the ages of 0 and 14. Currently, the Amherstburg Family Health Team, located at 721 Front Road South, consists of seven family physicians and two nurse practitioners, while the town has 15 primary-care providers in total across its clinics.
The recruitment challenge is linked to larger trends in the medical field. According to data from the Ontario Medical Association, 52 percent of family doctors in Ontario are considering retirement within the next five years, and only 42 percent of medical students are planning to pursue family medicine as a career.
While the provincial government is working to improve access through its Primary Care Action Plan, which includes a $1.8 billion investment to connect 2 million more people to care by 2029, local officials remain focused on the immediate needs of residents. As the initiative moves forward, the town has committed to providing regular progress updates to the community regarding efforts to bring more healthcare resources to Amherstburg.
