Today, only nine rural hospital sites supported by approximately 35 rural family physicians are providing labour and delivery services to the 50,000 rural Northern Ontarians of childbearing age. Twenty years ago, there were 20 rural hospital sites providing labour and delivery services. Twenty years before that, nearly every hospital in Northern Ontario had these services.

Northern Policy Institute’s latest publication, Delivering Solutions: An Action Plan for Sustaining Rural Birthing in Northern Ontario, presents a plan to address the decline of rural labour and delivery services and support the sustainability of the few programs that remain operational.

Read the Report