By Lyndsay Aelick
Published: March 01, 2026
Watch the video at CTV News
The association representing Ontario’s Family Health Teams is warning that a chronic wage gap is driving a staffing exodus, jeopardizing the province’s goal of connecting millions of patients to primary care.
Family Health Teams, which provide comprehensive care through multidisciplinary groups including family physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and dietitians, are struggling to retain staff after years of stagnant wages. The Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO) says that while these professional roles have seen their compensation frozen, comparable positions elsewhere in the healthcare system have become significantly more lucrative.
AFHTO CEO Jess Rogers told CTV News that the financial squeeze has left team members underpaid relative to their peers for an extended period.
“There was an increase last year of 2.7 per cent, but that was after over five years without any increases to those roles,” Rogers said.
“So, first and foremost, there’s a challenge around just keeping pace with where we’re at in terms of those roles.”
She added that the disparity is not just about keeping up with inflation, but about being systematically undervalued compared to other sectors. The result is a steady drain of talent from community-based primary care.
Read more at CTV News
