June 11, 2026  Ontario could improve access to health care by moving towards European models where patients have a choice: use the public system or pay privately A new report from the think tank SecondStreet.org identifies seven changes the Ontario provincial government could make to improve access to non-government health care. If implemented, Ontarians would have a choice just like European patients: use the public system or pay for treatment at non-government facilities. SecondStreet.org previously contracted the legal firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP to determine changes to the Canada Health Act to remove the federal government’s barriers on choice in health care. However, there are also significant barriers at the provincial level. The new changes identified by Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP would bring Ontario closer to Sweden, France, Germany and other European countries that allow more choices for patients. “Despite the well-documented deterioration of Ontario’s public health care system, provincial laws continue to limit, or outright prohibit, the emergence of meaningful private alternatives,” said Bacchus Barua, Research Director at SecondStreet.org.”Currently someone in Toronto can’t pay for something like a hip operation in Toronto. No other developed nation has such a ban.” Key reforms would allow for the establishment of new private hospitals, remove the prohibition on non-government insurance options for medically necessary services, and allow physicians to accept payments from sources other than the public insurance plan. “Ontario could reduce wait times if it gave patients more choices just like European countries do,” added SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig. “By keeping the public system, but allowing patients to pay for treatment at non-government facilities if they want to, the government could reduce pressure on government hospitals.” The report notes that more than 100,000 Canadians have died while on waiting lists for treatment since 2018, while an estimated 3.7 million Canadians are on wait lists as of 2025. To view the report – click here The post REPORT: Legal Roadmap to Private Health Options in Ontario appeared first on SecondStreet.Org.​Read More