Letter: We Must Consider a Bold Solution for the Family Doctor Shortage in Owen Sound
Jim Hutton of Owen Sound encourages residents and local decision-makers to look west and consider The Colwood Model as the family physician shortage in our region reaches crisis levels.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Owen Sound’s family doctor shortage has reached crisis levels. With 4,664 residents seeking a family physician and predictions of a need for 12 new doctors over three years, traditional recruitment has failed.
Across Grey County, 31,000 of 164,000 residents lack primary care, forcing them into emergency rooms for routine medical issues. But an unprecedented initiative in Colwood, British Columbia, offers a proven blueprint for municipal action.
The Colwood Model: Doctors as City Employees
Colwood has launched Canada’s first municipally operated family clinic, where physicians are direct city employees. Under Mayor Doug Kobayashi’s leadership, the Colwood Medical Clinic operates on a simple principle: doctors should practice medicine, not run businesses.
Physicians receive full municipal benefits—comprehensive medical coverage, paid vacation, maternity leave, and defined pensions. The city handles all administration, billing, and facility operations, freeing doctors from the business burdens that consume hours daily.
The financial structure is innovative yet sustainable. While doctors are city employees, operations are funded through provincial revenues. When doctors see patients, the city bills the Ministry of Health and uses those funds for salaries and costs.
Colwood initially allocated $500,000, but Mayor Kobayashi reports the clinic operates at a revenue-neutral level with proper scheduling—no taxpayer burden.
Why This Works
Traditional family medicine has become unsustainable. Independent contractor doctors must juggle patient care with accounting, human resources, lease negotiations, and endless paperwork. This administrative burden, combined with financial risks, drives physicians toward hospitals or specialized practices.
Dr. Cassandra Stiller-Moldovan relocated from London, Ontario, specifically for Colwood’s model. She represents physicians who value work-life balance, job security, and practicing medicine without business stress.
Each physician serves approximately 1,250 patients—a manageable roster encouraging long-term community commitment. The city aims to hire eight doctors within five years.
Owen Sound’s Opportunity
Owen Sound can become Ontario’s healthcare innovation leader while addressing its immediate crisis. The model aligns perfectly with the alternative delivery approach the city recognized at January’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference, when it requested provincial support for a doctor-led nurse practitioner clinic.
Financial feasibility is compelling. Like Colwood, Owen Sound wouldn’t need tax increases. Provincial billing remains unchanged—the city simply acts as intermediary. Initial investment becomes infrastructure spending that delivers improved public health and reduced emergency costs.
Owen Sound has distinct advantages. As a regional hub, impact could extend beyond city limits. Existing relationships with the Owen Sound Family Health Team and local hospitals provide a foundation for collaboration. The community has demonstrated decades-long commitment to physician recruitment.
Colwood’s success removes uncertainty. Municipalities including Kamloops and Orillia are studying the model. Owen Sound could pioneer this approach in Ontario, potentially accessing provincial support as a demonstration project.
Time for Leadership
Owen Sound stands at a crossroads. Mayor Kobayashi was initially called “crazy” for proposing the employment of municipal doctors. Now, municipalities nationwide study Colwood’s success.
The Colwood model offers a roadmap in which every resident has access to family care, physicians practice without administrative burden, and municipal government demonstrates a fundamental commitment to citizen well-being.
The question isn’t whether Owen Sound can afford this model—it’s whether we can afford not to act.
More information is available at: VoteLocal.net
Jim Hutton
Owen Sound
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
This is a breath of fresh air -a reasonable way to solve the doctor shortage and reduce the pull by the Ontario government to privatize health care.
Why is the Fire Chief tasked with securing doctors for Owen Sound? Who made that decision? What are his credentials? What is his timeframe and realistic goals and more importantly how much is he being paid? Also, why don't doctors want to come? ... Time to look closer into the administration of Brightshores.