Dear EDs/Admin Leads, Board Chairs and Lead Clinicians,
I’m reaching out to you today with a detailed update on AFHTO’s recent advocacy efforts, upcoming initiatives, and preparations for the anticipated provincial election. This update outlines critical progress on key advocacy fronts and highlights upcoming opportunities for engagement. Please take some time to go through this email in detail as it contains important information.
Provincial Election Anticipation and Member Engagement
We expect the writ to be dropped on Wednesday, January 29, with the election period running from January 30 to February 27.
AFHTO is actively preparing resources and opportunities to support members during this pivotal time:
- Election Resource Toolkit: A comprehensive suite of advocacy resources is being developed in collaboration with Santis Health to empower members to engage effectively with political leaders and candidates. These resources will include key messaging and practical tools.
- Upcoming Webinars: In collaboration with Santis, we will be hosting two advocacy webinars:
- A session for executive directors, board chairs, and leadership (first week of February).
- A broader member webinar (mid-February before Family Day).
Calendar invitations will follow shortly.
Advocacy Achievements
Pre-Budget Submissions
1.AFHTO has officially submitted our 2025 pre-budget submission. This document, grounded in key recommendations inspired by our members, has been shared with the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, the Primary Care Action Table, and key political stakeholders.
- We’ve prepared a one-pager that summarizes the pre-budget asks as you meet with MPPs over the next week.
2.AFHTO has collaborated on a joint Primary Care Collaborative pre-budget submission, demonstrating sector-wide unity on urgent priorities.
3.AFHTO has worked with partners in other community health sectors to finalize our Health Human Resources (HHR)-specific submission. This document was developed in collaboration with nine other provincial associations, builds on the success of the November 2024 Queen’s Park Advocacy Day, and includes targeted recommendations to address workforce challenges.
HHR Advocacy Success
AFHTO’s HHR advocacy efforts have gained significant momentum, with 10,000 signatures on the petition for wage parity. Thank you to our members for your incredible support in driving this initiative forward. If you have not yet signed the petition, please do.
Meeting with Dr. Jane Philpott and Primary Care Action Table (PCAT)
On January 14, AFHTO and the Primary Care Collaborative had a highly productive meeting with Dr. Philpott. This meeting set a strong tone for collaboration, with Dr. Philpott expressing a commitment to working closely with us.
Today, we submitted a letter to Dr. Philpott outlining key recommendations to guide her work. In the letter, we formally invited Dr. Philpott to attend AFHTO’s February 26 Board meeting in Toronto.
Nous Group Project Work
The Nous Group project has progressed significantly, with the current state review and draft position statements reviewed by the AFHTO Board yesterday. These deliverables, which will be finalized by the end of January, will shape our advocacy in the coming months.
Santis is working closely with the Nous Group to incorporate their findings into a robust election strategy.
Dispelling FHT Governance Myths and Leveraging Research
AFHTO is collaborating with a number of stakeholders and members to address public misconceptions about Family Health Team governance and value that FHTs provide to their patients. We plan to publish an op ed/article in Healthy Debate in the coming weeks and will share this with members once it is published.
Member Advocacy Success!!!
Congratulations to our members for achieving participation in 100% of the government’s local pre-budget consultations. This is an incredible milestone and speaks to your ability to engage in grassroots advocacy. Here is a list of our members who participated and that AFHTO supported:
- East End FHT (Timmins-James Bay)
- Timmins Academic FHT (Timmins-James Bay)
- Northeastern Manitoulin FHT (Algoma-Manitoulin)
- Manitoulin Central FHT (Algoma-Manitoulin)
- Municipality of Assiginack FHT (Algoma-Manitoulin)
- Sunset Country FHT (Kenora-Rainy River)
- STAR FHT (Perth-Wellington)
- Minto-Mapleton FHT (Perth-Wellington)
- Clarence-Rockland FHT (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell)
- Équipe de santé communautaire de l`Est d`Ottawa, representing the Champlain FHT ED group (Ottawa-Vanier)
- Clarence-Rockland FHT, representing the Champlain FHT ED group (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell)
- Erie Shores FHT (Chatham Kent-Essex)
- Windsor FHT (Windsor West)
- Hamilton FHT (Hamilton Centre)
Here is a list of members who will be presenting at upcoming pre-budget consultations:
- Taddle Creek FHT (Toronto Centre)
- Village FHT (Trinity-Spadina)
- Summerville FHT (Mississauga East-Cooksville)
- Peterborough FHT (Peterborough)
Technical Briefing Notes
AFHTO is developing two technical briefing notes:
- Briefing Note on the HHR Crisis: This note will include metrics on turnover and the impact of poor recruitment and retention. AFHTO is planning to work closely with Eckler to develop this note. This will be submitted to Ontario Health by mid-February.
- Briefing Note on Contract Modernization: This note is focused on contract modernization and incorporating member recommendations on how contracts can be improved. This will be submitted to Ontario Health by mid-February.
Contract Modernization Advocacy Win
We are pleased to share that AFHTO has learned that there will be TPA extensions until March 31, 2027. The work on contract modernization will be happening in parallel. Ontario Health has signaled that there will be a move to global budgets for Family Health Teams, which represents a significant advocacy success for AFHTO. A formal announcement from Ontario Health on the TPA extensions is expected to come tomorrow.
We are also anticipating that EOI funded teams will be getting two-year funding extensions. A formal announcement on this is expected to come after the TPA extension announcement.
Letters to the Premier’s Office and Minister of Health’s Office
AFHTO is drafting letters to the Premier’s Office and the Minister of Health to provide updates on our pre-budget advocacy and highlight local member engagement efforts. These will be sent next week.
Supporting Dr. Philpott’s Work
We are undertaking technical work to help Dr. Philpott better understand the differences between FHTs, CHCs, NPLCs, and other models of care. This foundational work will ensure an informed approach to addressing Ontario’s primary care challenges. We are also supporting the PCAT table with several other thematic areas they are seeking expertise on.
Thank you for your ongoing contributions and support. If you have any questions or need further details on any of the above initiatives, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at michael.scarpitti@afhto.ca.
Sincerely,
Michael Scarpitti
Director, Strategic Communications and Government Relations
AFHTO