No immediate plans to close private Ontario nurse practitioner clinics despite new guidance [Video]

The Ford government has no immediate plans to shut down for-profit nurse practitioner clinics in Ontario despite receiving clear direction from the federal government on the gradual elimination of the fee-for-service facilities.

The province has been under pressure from health-care advocates and political opponents to tackle the rise of private nurse practitioner clinics that charge patients for everything from initial intake visits, urgent appointments, follow-up appointments and prescription refill requests.

While Canada’s health-care system prevents out-of-pocket fees, private nurse practitioner clinics began popping up in 2024 after they didn’t receive provincial funding as part of the Ford government’s nurse practitioner-led clinic program.

Last spring, more than a dozen such clinics popped up across the province.

The Canada Health Act also allowed nurse practitioners to operate in a grey area since the law governing the country’s health-care system only included language around physicians and hospital workers but didn’t specifically outlaw private …