Ontario Connecting More People to Improved Health Services in York Region

October 24, 2025

Investments in emergency care & specialized equipment have reduced ambulance offload times by 65 per cent

NEWMARKET — The Ontario government is investing $63,003,377 in Regional Municipality of York to connect more people to emergency care faster and increase the availability of paramedics and ambulances in the community.

In York Region, Ontario is increasing land ambulance funding by 7 per cent, bringing the province’s total investment in the region to $60,181,585 this year. This increase in base funding helps ensure municipalities address increased costs so they can continue to deliver high-quality emergency care. This investment is part of the almost $1 billion in land ambulance funding Ontario is providing municipalities across the province this year, representing an average increase of 8.7 per cent from 2024.

To further reduce delays paramedics encounter when dropping patients off at a hospital, Ontario is investing $2,779,840 in York Region through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program to hire more nurses and other eligible health professionals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients in hospital emergency departments.

The program allows paramedics to get back out into the community faster and respond to their next 9-1-1 call sooner and has played a significant role in reducing ambulance offload times and increasing ambulance availability for 9-1-1 patients across the province. As a result of this investment and the dedication of health-care professionals, provincial ambulance offload time has been reduced by approximately 65 per cent since its peak in October 2022.

To ensure urgent patients receive critical care sooner, Ontario is also continuing to implement the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) across the province. The system helps to better prioritize and triage emergency medical calls and dispatch paramedics sooner. The province has expanded the use of MPDS to Mississauga, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Renfrew, Georgian, Kingston, Lindsay, Oshawa and Timmins and is accelerating progress to implement the system at the 10 remaining Central Ambulance Communication Centres across Ontario over a year ahead of schedule.

Additionally, in 2024-25, the LPF allocated $41,952 to York Region Newmarket Health Centre.

The Local Priorities Fund (LPF) is designed to support programs that connect people with the right care for them, reducing emergency department visits and hospital stays. Originally launched in 2022, the LPF provides specialized equipment, services and staff training to enable long-term care homes to admit new residents with specialized needs and support current residents with complex needs. Ontario’s funding helps long-term care homes purchase items such as IV equipment, bariatrics equipment bed support, bladder scanners and ECGs, as well as everyday items like slip-proof floor mats, wraparound bed rails and grab bars.

Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to protect the province’s health-care system and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care closer to home for generations to come.

QUICK FACTS

  •    The government’s additional investments into the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program over three years will help municipalities cover around 800,000 dedicated hours to support offloading ambulance patients in the emergency department.
  •    Currently over 300 patient care models led by paramedic services across the province are now approved to provide appropriate and timely care options for eligible 9-1-1 patients in the community, instead of in the emergency department.
  • To help increase the number of paramedics in the province, the expanded Ontario Learn and Stay Grant provides students studying in the first year of a paramedic program at select post-secondary institutions with funding for free tuition, books, compulsory fees and other direct educational costs. After graduating, students will be required to work in the same region they studied in, for a minimum of six months for every full year of study funded by the grant.
  • The Ontario government has helped more students who want to become a paramedic in Ontario by adding more than 300 student spaces in paramedic programs at provincial colleges across Ontario.
  • As part of its plan to fix long-term care and address waitlists, the government is building 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds across the province.
  • Ontario is offering incentives of up to $35,400 to PSW students and eligible PSWs to launch careers in long-term care homes and in the home and community care sector.
  • The Ontario government invested up to $4.9 billion between 2021 and 2025 to create thousands of new positions for personal support workers, nurses, and allied health professionals in long-term care.

QUOTES

“Our government is making record investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system and connect people to the care they need, when they need it,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Through these additional investments, we are providing paramedics and emergency departments with the tools they need to connect more people across the province to high-quality emergency care, faster and closer to home.”

“Thanks to Ontario’s continued investments, residents in York Region will have faster access to emergency care and stronger supports in our long-term care homes,” said Dawn Gallagher Murphy, MPP for Newmarket–Aurora. “With increased funding for ambulances and dedicated offload nurses, paramedics can respond to emergencies more quickly, while specialized equipment and services in long-term care homes ensure our loved ones receive the care they need without the stress of a trip to the hospital.”

“Our government is protecting our long-term care system by investing in the tools and training to ensure residents can get the right care in the right place,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care. “This funding will expand the specialized equipment and innovative services available at long-term care homes across our province, so those with complex needs get the support they deserve.”

“The Regional Municipality of York is grateful to the Government of Ontario for their continued partnership and investment in the health and well-being of our residents,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe. “These investments directly support the critical work of our Paramedic and Senior Services teams, ensuring residents receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. By working together, we are strengthening emergency response, improving patient outcomes and building a more connected and resilient health system for our growing communities.”

“This investment is an important step forward for emergency health care in Thornhill and across York Region”, said Laura Smith, MPP for Thornhill. “When someone is facing a health emergency, every minute counts, and access to urgent care close to home can make all the difference. By strengthening local health services, we’re ensuring people can get care when they need it most, without delay.”

“Ambulance and emergency services play a vital role in our health care system, and our government is ensuring paramedics have the resources they need to respond to calls quicker,” said Daisy Wai, MPP for Richmond Hill. “This investment from the Ministry of Health will make a real difference in speeding up paramedic response times and is part of our continued commitment to delivering high-quality care for families in Richmond Hill and across York Region.”

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES