Brockville, Ont. woman shares story of 6-week search for new doctor

The family doctor shortage in Ontario continues to affect millions, and one woman from Brockville, Ont. spoke with CTV News about how it's affected her.

On June 11, Kerey Bolton was notified that her family physician in Brockville was heading back home to the United Kingdom for family reasons.

"I don't know how many patients she has," Bolton explained, "but there are a lot of us that are without a doctor."

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Bolton has worked tirelessly for six weeks to find a new doctor close to home, but hasn't had any luck.

"I phoned probably five doctor's offices in the Brockville area to see if they were taking new patients," she said. "They all said no. I asked about a waiting list, and they said the waiting list is so full, they're not putting anybody new on the waiting list."

And Bolton isn't alone.

According to research done by the Ontario College of Family Physicians, 2.3 million Ontarians currently do not have a family doctor. That number is expected to rise to 4.4 million by 2026, affecting roughly 1 in 4 people in the province.

People living in rural communities are leaning on walk-in clinics. The Mallorytown Pharmacy and Health Centre reopened last month, albeit for just two days a week.

The clinic closed in January 2023 after the provincial government reduced the fees they could charge per person for virtual visits. The township then pressured the government to reopen it, as thousands in the region were forced to use the Brockville General Hospital's Emergency Department.

According to Front of Yonge Township Mayor Roger Haley, the community deserves credit.

"It was a long path; 17 months it was closed," he said. "I give full credit to the community stepping up and a lot of lobbying."

"Hopefully with more funding, they can expand and get back to where we were."