Ontario wait times rise for key surgeries as private clinics expand, study shows

A study released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives analyzed CIHI statistics and freedom-of-information data, revealing that from 2017 to 2025 median wait times increased for eight of twelve priority procedures in Ontario after the government expanded outsourcing to for-profit clinics. MRI wait times grew from 35 to 47 days, and cancer surgeries such as breast, lung and colorectal saw increases ranging from five to 33 per cent.

Researchers attribute the trend to resources being diverted to lower-complexity cases in private facilities, leaving complex surgeries in public hospitals longer. Some procedures, like hip and knee replacements, showed modest improvements, while others remained stable. Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones’s spokesperson Lily Barnes rejected the study, emphasizing $101 billion in health-care spending and added imaging capacity.

The report also notes a 117 per cent rise in surgeries performed at integrated community health services centres and a $674 million market for for-profit imaging and surgery in 2024-25. Authors recommend halting further privatization, boosting public hospital funding, and adopting evidence-based system reforms.