Today at City Hall, the Finance and Corporate Services committee approved my motion to make land available for a Primary Care Health Hub in Stittsville, near Canadian Tire Centre. This is a big step forward in our push to prove access to health care in our community. The project would still need funding from the provincial government to proceed.
The motion will go to City Council for approval next Wednesday, October 22.
Here’s the text of the motion.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Finance and Corporate Services Committee recommend Council direct staff to initiate a Request for Offers (RFO) for the development of a health hub on the northern portion of the City-owned site located at 1655 Maple Grove Road;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that prior to the RFO, staff be directed to sever a portion of the site that is adequately sized and appropriately situated to support the development of a health hub, approximately 7 to 8 acres, with the severed area clearly identified and included in the RFO documentation;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff commit to working with the successful proponent of the RFO to amend the Zoning By-law to rezone the identified parcel to permit the intended health hub use, ensuring the land is suitably zoned;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all costs incurred by the City related to the severance and rezoning of the subject lands be offset using funds from the eventual sale of the property;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff report back to Council with the results of the RFO process and any recommendations regarding next steps for the development of the health hub by Q2 2026.
Also today, the committee approved a new Ottawa Primary Care Provider Recruitment and Retention Strategy. Led by Mayor Sutcliffe, with input from me and several of my Council Colleagues, the strategy would include hiring a primary care ambassador focused on recruitment, advocating to the Province for policy changes to remove recruitment barriers affecting our city, and supporting more team-based primary care organizations.
At least 165,000 residents in Ottawa were without a primary care provider in 2022, and this number has since increased, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations. Local estimates suggest Ottawa needs about 270 new family physicians, not including those needed for pending retirements.
Key actions:
- Creating a new Primary Care Recruitment & Retention Ambassador position for a two-year pilot, backed by an annual budget of $40,000 to support recruitment activities.
- Joining the Eastern Ontario Physician Recruitment Alliance (EOPRA), leveraging regional resources to meet recruitment objectives.
- Advocacy to the Province to remove systemic barriers. These barriers include the five-year restriction preventing International Medical Graduates from practicing in Ottawa and the five-kilometre limit on partnerships between Family Health Organization physicians, which penalizes Ottawa’s vast geography and rural communities.
- Supporting non-profit medical clinics (such as Community Health Centres) by exploring opportunities to contribute land or space in under-served areas.
- Developing a centralized database to publicize physician and nurse practitioner vacancies, implementing a targeted recruitment strategy to retain local graduates and attract qualified practitioners from abroad, and reviewing City administrative policies that rely unnecessarily on primary care providers to reduce their administrative burden.
These steps are designed to strengthen Ottawa’s ability to attract and retain the providers necessary to improve residents’ access to essential health services.
More to come…