Bill 117 Original (PDF)
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Bill enacts the Access (Assistance for Care, Commuting and Essential Specialized Services) Act, 2026. The Bill requires the Minister of Health to examine establishing a grant program for the purpose of defraying the travel-related expenses of eligible Ontarians seeking access to necessary medical specialist services or procedures that are not available in their local communities.
The Minister is required to table a report in the Assembly about their examination. The report is to describe the steps the Minister will undertake to ensure the grant program is fully funded within the timeline set out in the Bill.
Bill 117 2026
An Act to enact the Access (Assistance for Care, Commuting and Essential Specialized Services) Act, 2026
His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:
Travel-related expenses re: access to necessary specialist health care
1 (1) The Minister of Health shall examine establishing a grant program for the purpose of defraying the travel-related expenses of eligible Ontarians seeking access to necessary medical specialist services or procedures that are not available in their local communities.
Eligibility
(2) The examination shall focus on the provision of grants to any person who,
(a) is a resident of Ontario;
(b) is referred to a specialty medical service by a primary care clinician;
(c) confirms, as part of the application, that the travel costs for which they seek the grant are not covered by another program or organization, such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits Program for eligible First Nations and Inuit people or private insurance;
(d) is required to travel at least 100 kilometres one-way to access the nearest medical specialist or provincially funded health care facility or service that is not available to the person locally;
(e) applies to the Minister of Health within 12 months after the date of treatment by the speciality medical service; and
(f) provides original receipts of costs incurred.
Report
2 (1) The Minister of Health shall table a report in the Assembly about their examination within six months after the day this Act comes into force.
Funding
(2) The report shall include a description of the steps the Minister will undertake to ensure the grant program is fully funded by six months after the day the report is tabled.
Commencement
3 This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Short title
4 The short title of this Act is the Access (Assistance for Care, Commuting and Essential Specialized Services) Act, 2026.