Hi friends,
Launching Primary Focus has been one of the great joys of my year. I’ve loved digging into big ideas, travelling to clinics all over the world, and hearing from so many of you about the kind of primary care system you all want and need. But between the podcast, clinical work, OurCare, other research projects and family life – it’s been a full season. So, I’m pressing pause for a short summer break to soak up some sunshine—without a microphone in hand. ☀️
But before I go, we’ve got one more episode for you—and it’s a powerful one.
🎉 On June 5, 2025, the Primary Care Act officially became law in Ontario. 🎉
Importantly, the Act directly reflects the work we’ve been doing at OurCare over the last few years. We heard from nearly 10,000 people in Canada who told us what they think every person deserves when it comes to primary care and we distilled those asks into the OurCare Standard. Here’s how what they told us stacks up to the new legislation:
This legislation marks a major milestone: Ontario is the first province or territory in Canada to enshrine a vision for primary care into law – one that reflects what patients and the public have said they want and need.
In this episode, I call up my friend and collaborator Peter MacLeod. Together, we reflect on the work that got us here—the OurCare initiative, a national dialogue on the future of primary care that Peter and I co-led with an amazing team, terrific collaborators and thousands of people across Canada who gave us their time and told us what really matters to them when it comes to primary care.
In our conversation, Peter shared this great reflection on how rare it is that research like this translates to policy so quickly:
In this episode, Peter and I also reflect on:
🗳️ How OurCare brought nearly 10,000 people together to reimagine primary care in Canada
🤝 What happens when ordinary people are invited—and supported—to shape health policy
📚 Why moral beauty, democratic dividends, and civic imagination matter more than ever in policymaking
🧩 How the OurCare Standard became the backbone of Ontario’s new Primary Care Act
🚀 And why the passage of this legislation is just the beginning—not the end—of what’s possible
If you’ve been getting these emails, but haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast - summer is a great time to catch up. 🎧
In the meantime, you can also:
📖 Learn more about OurCare and the OurCare Standard
📊 Take the OurCare survey and share it with friends—our deadline has been extended to July 30th!
🎥 Watch this video of our panelists who share why they volunteered for OurCare and what they learned in the process. Here’s are just some of the people who volunteered for Ontario’s Priorities Panel:
This is our last episode before our summer break. Thank you so much for listening—we’ll be back with new stories in September. ✅
With gratitude,
Tara
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