Why Owen Sound Should Hire City Doctors

Colwood, BC has Proven the Concept - Owen Sound Needs to Follow

The Problem

Owen Sound faces a critical shortage of family physicians, leaving countless residents without access to primary care. According to a CBC News article the Owen Sound Family Heath Team estimates that there are 31,000 residents without a family doctor. That works out to be 19% of the population that do not have a family doctor. But it gets worse when we look closer to home. The City of Owen Sound's website informs us that there are 4,664 residents who do not have family doctors - that's 21.6% of our population.

The Solution

While this crisis might seem insurmountable, the City of Colwood, British Columbia, has pioneered an innovative solution that deserves serious consideration: hiring doctors directly as municipal employees. This bold approach, initially dismissed by skeptics as "crazy," is now drawing interest from municipalities across Canada and could provide Owen Sound with a viable path forward in addressing its healthcare crisis.

The Colwood Model: Innovation Born from Necessity

Colwood, a Greater Victoria municipality, confronted a situation strikingly similar to Owen Sound's predicament. More than half of Colwood's population lacked a family doctor just two years ago. Rather than waiting for provincial or federal interventions, Mayor Doug Kobayashi proposed an out-of-the-box solution: establish a municipally-run medical clinic where physicians work as city employees, complete with full benefits, pensions, vacation time, and maternity leave.

The city hired Dr. Cassandra Stiller-Moldovan from Ontario as its first family physician and plans to bring on seven more doctors. Each physician will serve approximately 1,250 residents, meaning the clinic could connect over 10,000 Colwoodians with family doctors by its fifth year of operation. The clinic officially launched in early 2025, and the municipality's business case projects no ongoing impact on municipal tax funding, as provincial billing revenue through the Ministry of Health will cover costs. (View Colwood's Job Posting)

The Compelling Advantages

The Colwood model offers several significant advantages that make it particularly attractive for Owen Sound. First, it addresses one of the primary reasons doctors are leaving traditional family practice: administrative burden. Family physicians typically juggle two full-time jobs—caring for patients and running a small business with all its attendant overhead costs, staffing challenges, and financial pressures. By taking on the administrative responsibilities, municipalities allow doctors to focus exclusively on patient care, dramatically improving their work-life balance and job satisfaction.

Second, the comprehensive benefits package makes family medicine competitive with other medical specialties and employment options. The reality for most family doctors in Canada is stark: no pension plan, no benefits, no paid maternity or parental leave, and no sick leave. Colwood's offering of these standard employment protections represents a fundamental shift in how family practice can be structured, making it more appealing to new graduates and experienced physicians alike.

Third, this approach enables strategic recruitment beyond local markets. Colwood intentionally recruited Dr. Stiller-Moldovan from Ontario to avoid depleting the existing pool of local physicians—a thoughtful strategy that adds doctors to the system rather than simply redistributing existing practitioners. For Owen Sound, this could mean tapping into national and international recruitment markets with a competitive employment package that stands out.

Fourth, the model leverages what municipalities do best: administration and operations. As Mayor Kobayashi noted, municipal governments possess expertise in managing facilities, handling human resources, and coordinating complex administrative systems. This represents an efficient use of existing governmental capacity to solve a pressing community need.

Legitimate Concerns and Challenges

However, Owen Sound must carefully consider several potential drawbacks before adopting this model. The initial startup costs could be substantial. While Colwood projects no ongoing tax impact, establishing the clinic, recruiting physicians, and building the necessary infrastructure requires significant upfront investment that may strain municipal budgets. Owen Sound cound tap into capital reserves to provide the infrastructure and cover startup costs.

The model's long-term financial sustainability remains unproven. Colwood's clinic only launched in early 2025, meaning there's limited track record to assess whether provincial billing will consistently cover all operational costs, employee benefits, and pension obligations over time. Economic downturns, changes in provincial healthcare funding, or unexpected cost overruns could shift financial burden onto municipal taxpayers.

There's also the question of municipal overreach into provincial healthcare jurisdiction. Healthcare is constitutionally a provincial responsibility, and some may argue that municipalities are stepping into territory beyond their mandate. This could create governance complications or tensions with provincial health authorities, potentially complicating integration with broader healthcare systems.

Additionally, recruiting doctors to Owen Sound may prove more challenging than it was for Colwood. The British Columbia municipality benefits from proximity to Victoria, access to Vancouver Island's natural amenities, and a generally temperate climate that appeals to many physicians. Owen Sound, while offering its own attractions, faces stiffer competition from larger urban centers and may need to offer even more attractive packages to draw physicians.

Finally, there's risk in being an early adopter. While Colwood's initiative has garnered positive attention, it's still essentially a pilot project. If the model encounters unforeseen problems or fails to deliver on its promises, Owen Sound could find itself locked into an expensive commitment that doesn't solve the doctor shortage.

A Path Forward

Despite these legitimate concerns, the severity of Owen Sound's doctor shortage demands innovative solutions. The Colwood model represents exactly the kind of bold, community-driven initiative that can make a tangible difference in residents' lives. With careful planning, realistic budgeting, strong partnerships with provincial health authorities, and commitment to learning from Colwood's experience, Owen Sound can adapt this approach to its unique context.

The fundamental question is whether Owen Sound can afford not to try. Traditional approaches have left thousands without family doctors, creating cascading problems throughout the healthcare system. Colwood has demonstrated that municipalities can take meaningful action on healthcare access. For Owen Sound, following Colwood's lead may not be crazy—it may be the most logical solution available.