With the Ontario provincial election called today (January 29), the Town of Whitby is continuing to encourage collaborative action at all levels of government to help bring healthcare closer to home for residents as growth continues. 

By 2031, Whitby’s population will have increased to more than 190,000, making increased access to health services, infrastructure, and family doctors more critical than ever. Community and inter-governmental partnerships will be key in addressing growth-related healthcare needs, a top resident priority in Whitby’s Community Strategic Plan.

New and ongoing partnerships have already resulted in local healthcare improvements and actions:

• Healthcare infrastructure – the Town partnered with the Oshawa Clinic Group to support the opening of the new state-of-the-art Whitby Health Centre in West Whitby. With over 57 physicians on site, the Centre offers residents access to a wide range of healthcare services, from cardiology and physiotherapy to men’s health, fertility treatments, audiology, and psychology. The Centre also operates a daily urgent care clinic, providing timely care to those who need it fast.
• Provincial commitment to a new hospital in Whitby – following the August 2024 provincial announcement of the Planning Grant to Lakeridge Health and commitment to build a new hospital in Whitby, progress continues on securing the land to move the project forward.
• New family doctors – the Town of Whitby and Oshawa Clinic Group are partnering to recruit and retain new family doctors in the community. In November 2024, a new family doctor joined the Whitby Health Centre, providing even more patients with better access to care. Don’t have a family doctor? Visit the Oshawa Clinic Group’s website to join the patient waiting list.

Visit whitby.ca/subscribe and select the “Durham Health Matters” category to stay up-to-date, connected, and informed as the Town continues to push for solutions that bring care closer to home for Whitby residents.

Quick Facts

• By 2051, the Region’s population is expected to hit 1.3 million.
• The Ontario College of Family Physicians reports that nearly 15 per cent of Ontarians are without access to a regular family physician. Investments like the $1.8 billion announced by the Ontario government to connect every person in the province with a family doctor and primary care team will help to meet this critical need.
• During recent engagement on the new Community Strategic Plan, participants listed better access to healthcare and family physicians as a top priority.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Corporate Communications
Erin Mikaluk, Manager, Communications and Creative Services, Town of Whitby
Phone: 289.314.6913
Email: mikaluke@whitby.ca

Office of the Mayor
Jillian Follert, Public Affairs Coordinator, Office of the Mayor
Phone: 289.387.9101
Email: follertj@whitby.ca