Millions of Canadians are without a family doctor, while thousands die each year waiting for non-emergency surgery

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

It’s hard these days to shake the feeling that our health-care system is defined by anything but crisis. Millions of Canadians are without a family doctor, while thousands die each year waiting for non-emergency surgery.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Don't have an account? Create Account

Canadians shouldn’t have to suffer this way, particularly given that we pay for one of the developed world’s most expensive universal health-care systems. To solve the crisis, provincial governments should start thinking differently about how to structure their health-care systems.

Consider first just how badly the current approach is failing. In 2025, the median wait for medically necessary care in Canada is