Sarnia’s health leaders are requesting a municipal grant to fund a new, collaborative strategy aimed at recruiting family physicians to address the 9,000 local residents without a doctor.
Sarnia-Lambton’s key health organizations are seeking a municipal grant to address a critical shortage of family doctors in the city.
The Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team (OHT) and Bluewater Health have presented a joint proposal outlining an urgent need to recruit new physicians. The need is driven by an estimated 9,000 Sarnia residents living without a primary care provider, coupled with a looming wave of retirements.
According to the proposal, the situation is set to worsen: over 30% of Sarnia's family physicians are over the age of 65, and they currently care for more than 15,000 patients.
This retirement crisis is compounded by the dissolution of Blue Coast Primary Care in September 2025, which operated for 24 years and left a significant gap in local primary care recruitment. The report also notes that the 9,000 unattached patients largely reside in the city's most marginalized neighbourhoods.
The new, collaborative strategy aims to "reimagine" physician recruitment. The primary goal is to recruit new family physicians by the end of 2026. This initiative is part of a broader objective to clear the provincial Health Care Connect waitlist by spring 2026 and attach all remaining unattached patients by spring 2029.
The proposal also focuses on long-term sustainability by developing a comprehensive retention and retirement succession plan for the region by December 2026.
To maximize the impact of the grant, both Bluewater Health and the Sarnia-Lambton OHT will contribute in-kind resources, such as staff time, to support the recruitment efforts. A key part of the strategy involves strengthening linkages with Western University (UWO) to recruit providers who will also teach the next generation of physicians, helping to build a sustainable pipeline of future doctors.
The organizations stress that the benefits extend beyond healthcare. While the plan aims to improve access to primary care, reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, and improve overall health outcomes, it also supports community stability.
The proposal states that attracting new physicians reinforces economic stability, boosts workforce productivity, and helps attract more families to Sarnia. The request frames the initiative as a multi-sector collaboration essential for the city's future, aligning with the City of Sarnia's strategic goals of "Community Wellbeing" and "Economic Resilience."
