Pikwakanagan strengthens community-led Primary Care with new Provincial investment

The Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation is taking an important step forward in expanding access to culturally safe, community-led primary care, supported by new funding through Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan.

This investment of more than $1,049,900 supports ongoing efforts to ensure that community members and Indigenous residents in the region can access care closer to home, in ways that reflect their needs, values, and traditions.

“This investment represents an important opportunity to expand our team and build stronger, more integrated partnerships across Renfrew County to improve access to primary care for Indigenous people,” said Maureen Sarazin Tomasini, Health Services Manager. “It strengthens our ability to attach patients who are currently without a provider, while ensuring care is coordinated, culturally safe, and responsive to the needs of our community. Most importantly, it means individuals and families can access the support they need, when and where they need it.”

This funding comes through the latest call for proposals under the province’s Primary Care Action Plan, which is supporting 124 teams across Ontario to connect an additional 500,000 people to care. Each team is focused on reaching individuals who are currently without a provider, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.

“Access to primary care is one of the most important issues facing families in Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke, and this investment is a meaningful step forward for our community,” said Billy Denault, MPP for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke. “By supporting the AOPFN Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization, we are helping connect more people in Pikwakanagan to the care they need, closer to home. Our government remains committed to ensuring every Ontarian has access to a family doctor or primary care team by 2029.”

For Pikwakanagan, this investment represents more than expanded services—it is an opportunity to strengthen a model of care grounded in community leadership and cultural safety.

Ontario has already exceeded its 2025–2026 target under the Primary Care Action Plan, connecting 330,000 people to care as of January 1, 2026—surpassing its goal by more than 30,000.

“Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and have already exceeded our 2025–26 attachment target,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By connecting more families to care in Pikwakanagan, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”

As Pikwakanagan continues to advance its vision for wholistic, community-driven health services, this investment marks a meaningful step toward improving access, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring that care is delivered in a way that reflects and respects the community it serves.