Province targets doctor shortage with new initiatives
Ontario has launched two major initiatives to attract and retain self-employed physicians amid a critical shortage that has left 2.5 million residents without a family doctor.
Since January 2025, self-employed physicians have been able to join the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), a $123 billion pension plan previously unavailable to them. A Toronto Star report highlighted that this change allows doctors who run their own practices to access the same pension benefits as their hospital-employed colleagues.
“We believe we play an important role in recruitment and retention. Health-care employers in our province can say to their staff ‘we can offer you a great pension,’” explained Rachel Arbour, head of plan benefits, design and policy at HOOPP.
More than 75 self-employed physicians have already taken steps to join the pension plan, with hundreds more expressing interest. The plan reported a robust 9.7% return on investments last year on behalf of its 475,000 members and retirees.
Supporting self-employed physicians
Concurrently, Ontario has reformed its immigration policies to make it easier for international physicians to establish practices in the province. As of February 2025, self-employed doctors can now count their work experience toward permanent residency requirements under several streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
This immigration reform addresses a key barrier that previously prevented many qualified physicians from settling in Ontario, as the Canadian Experience Class traditionally required work experience as an employee rather than as a self-employed professional.
“These updates to Ontario’s enhanced Provincial Nominee Program mean that physicians who receive a provincial nomination will gain 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System points, significantly increasing their chances of securing an Invitation to Apply for permanent residency,” noted the Canadian Immigrant publication.
Statistics Canada identifies physician offices as one of the top sectors for self-employment in Canada, with 85,100 self-employed workers in 2023. According to the Ontario Medical Association, 8,600 physicians have retired or left their practices since 2018, with only three new doctors entering the system for every two departing.
