North Grenville, Ont. seeing success with incentives for family doctors

A financial incentive program to attract family doctors to North Grenville is proving to be a success. CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports.

In the heart of Kemptville, Bubba n Bugz Coffee Bar buzzes with regulars, exactly the kind of small-town life co-owner Scott Godwin loves.

But when he and his husband, Luc, moved back from Toronto five years ago, there was one thing missing, a family doctor.

“It was a good three, three and a half years without a physician,” says Godwin. “To be able to have access to a physician, especially here in town, was huge. Didn’t think possible at that time.”

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Godwin’s experience is one shared by many in North Grenville, where a few years ago around 15 per cent of the township’s residents were without a family doctor.

To help close that gap, the municipality launched the North Grenville primary care incentive program in 2023, offering doctors around $100,000 over five years in exchange for a commitment to practise locally, roster around 1,000 patients and take shifts at Kemptville District Hospital.

Mayor Nancy Peckford says the plan has already made a measurable difference.

“We started this program three years ago, recognizing, of course, that at that time there was a physician shortage in the community,” says Peckford. “A number of departures, retirements, and it left about 5,000 residents orphaned without a family doctor.”

Since then, four new physicians have joined the community, including Dr. Elise Malek-Adamian, who began practising in September at the Kemptville Health & Wellness Centre.

“They’ve rostered over 3,500 patients,” says Peckford. “We think it’s money well spent for all those residents who finally have a family doctor.”

While North Grenville’s approach relies on direct financial support, the City of Ottawa is taking a different path. The city unveiled its 10-point plan last week to address a growing family doctor shortage, but without offering cash to attract physicians.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante says that while money can bring doctors in, it doesn’t necessarily make them stay.

“Doctors often graduate with $200,000, sometimes $300,000 in student loans. Cash incentives can be very luring, but we’re finding there is a big drop-off in their 30s and in their 40s,” says Plante. “We want to be able to retain family doctors and create an environment where they want to still practise.”

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Part of Ottawa’s plan focuses on easing administrative pressures, exploring city-run clinics and support systems that would allow doctors to spend more time with patients and less time running a small business.

“I actually think this is a better model for us to look at because we no longer term,” says Plante. “This is what’s going to keep them as family doctors employed in the community that they serve, and just focusing on their patients. That’s the priority.”

In Kemptville, Godwin says bonuses may help bring doctors to town, but the hope is that a vibrant community and small-town charm, will make them stay.

“I have a fantastic family physician here in town that I can’t speak highly enough about,” he says, “You’re not sacrificing income, managing childcare, what have you. Huge, huge, huge plus.”\