The SDG Counties and the Great River Ontario Health Team are teaming up on a new $68,000 campaign to bring more doctors, nurses, and other health workers to communities across Cornwall, Akwesasne, and surrounding areas. The province announced the funding on June 26, 2026, through the Rural Ontario Development (ROD) program, and it will power the “Great River, Great Future” recruitment drive.
MPP Nolan Quinn, who is also Ontario’s Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, unveiled the investment at Winchester District Memorial Hospital. The money will be handled by SDG Counties, with the Great River Ontario Health Team leading the push to attract healthcare professionals to the region.
The campaign addresses a pressing local need. As of March 2025, 21,507 people in the Great River Ontario Health Team area—about 16.9% of the population—did not have a regular primary care provider. In Cornwall, the shortage is even more serious: as of September 2025, over 40% of residents did not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, according to Erin Killoran, Director of the Seaway Valley Community Health Centre.
“We realized that attracting high quality health-care workers was going to be a challenge,” said Dr. Marilyn Crabtree, Clinical Lead for the health team. She noted that many healthcare workers retired early or cut back their hours after the pandemic, making it harder for the region to fill open positions. The new campaign builds on other recent provincial investments, including $5.1 million through Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan in May 2026 and over $4 million in 2024 to expand existing services.
The centrepiece of the effort is a new website, GreatRiverGreatFuture.ca, which highlights job openings, community profiles, and resources for people thinking about moving to the area. The campaign brings together municipalities and health organizations from Cornwall, Akwesasne, SDG Counties, Russell Township, and parts of rural southeast Ottawa to sell the region as a great place to live and work.
