FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Regional Partners Successful in Bid to Expand Primary Care

SEGUIN, ON – June 17, 2026 – More patients in West Parry Sound will become attached to primary care when a new site of the West Parry Sound Health Centre Rural Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (WPSHC NPLC) opens later this year at the Foley Community Centre in partnership with the Township of Seguin and the West Parry Sound Ontario Health Team (WPS OHT). By repurposing existing and accessible space with minimal renovation, the provincially funded project aligns with the Ministry of Health expectation to expand primary care attachment capacity as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Through Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan, the province is investing more than $250 million in this fiscal year to create or expand 75 primary care teams across the province. Locally, this investment will create more than 1,900 spaces for patients currently without access to a family doctor or nurse-practitioner.

The Foley Community Centre in the Township of Seguin has been selected as the shovel-ready location for the new clinic. Seguin Township has played an essential role in supporting this expansion and will continue to work with West Parry Sound Health Centre as planning progresses to prepare the space for clinical use. The new Foley clinic site will support care delivery in a welcoming, community-based environment. Community rentals and library services will continue to operate at the centre.

“Seguin Township is proud to partner with West Parry Sound Health Centre on this important initiative,” said Ann MacDiarmid, Mayor of Seguin Township. “Access to primary care is a priority for our residents and for communities across the region. Seguin Township is grateful for the opportunity to work with our health care partners towards this shared goal.”

The expansion reflects the coordinated work of the West Parry Sound Primary Care Network, a regional primary care planning table, spear-headed by the West Parry Sound Ontario Health Team. The network brings together local primary care providers, including members of Parry Sound Family Health Team, Medical Associates, Rugged Shores Family Health, the West Parry Sound Health Centre Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, and broader health partners. This announcement marks a major achievement towards their goal of ensuring every resident in West Parry Sound has access to a regular primary care provider.

“This partnership reflects the kind of collaborative, practical, local solution that is needed to improve patient attachment and access to care locally,” said Ellen Walker, Executive Director of the WPS Ontario Health Team “Working together, we are building a stronger and more connected primary care system for the people of West Parry Sound.”

“West Parry Sound Health Centre is deeply appreciative of the many community partners whose efforts were essential in making this expansion possible,” said Donald Sanderson, Chief Executive Officer of West Parry Sound Health Centre. “When primary care is strengthened, the positive impacts are felt across the entire health system. We commend the Government of Ontario for its commitment to expanding access to primary care. We are also grateful to our municipal partners, who responded quickly to help identify a shovel-ready location that aligns with our communities’ needs. We especially want to thank Seguin Township for its responsiveness to this time-sensitive opportunity.”

Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan is focused on connecting every person in Ontario to a family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team by 2029. The plan supports the creation and expansion of team-based primary care across the province, with a particular focus on helping patients who are currently unattached gain access to ongoing, coordinated care closer to home. For communities like West Parry Sound, this approach recognizes that strong local partnerships are essential to building a more connected, sustainable primary care system that can respond to regional needs.

“I’m proud of the work being done by our local health care partners to help ensure residents across West Parry Sound have access to the primary care they need,” said Graydon Smith, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka. “Thanks to support from the Ministry of Health, this new clinic site is moving forward quickly and will help connect more people and families to care close to home when it opens later this year.”

Further details about the site opening and how unattached patients can be connected to care will be shared as implementation planning progresses.