Health innovation in Ontario (CA)

For several years, the adoption of new health technologies and innovations in the Ontario health system was sporadic. As of September 2025, a new system is in place to streamline the process. "The Health Innovation Pathway is a new process to bring promising innovations into Ontario’s health system faster – improving patient outcomes, driving economic growth and helping our health system reach its full potential." Our first impressions of the new Health Innovations Pathway are that it's simply a portal for receiving expressions of interest to participate in health innovation in Ontario. Once a file is submitted, there seems to be no tracking or follow-ups, so far. The Health Innovation Policy Branch is responsible for the elaboration, deployment, and management of the Health Innovation Pathway. The stakes are high, as Ontario has the combined healthcare budget of all other provinces except Quebec.

What are the goals of this program?

What are the KPIs?

What is the timeline?

What Quality-of-Life health factors metrics are we expected to see increase? The Auditor General of Ontario has made the same findings in its 2025 Annual Report-Oversight of Access to Primary Care section. "The Ministry has not established timelines to collect data to measure the five KPIs or performance targets to understand if improvements are being made."

Companies looking to establish themselves in Ontario must do so carefully, expecting a slow progress. The Province doesn't have clear, measurable expectations for progress in the health innovation field, which means the solutions proposed by industry may not be readily understood or implemented. The Council for Canadian Innovators is clear on the topic: "Too often, domestic companies with promising technology are caught in a cycle of pilot projects that never turn into contracts. For Ontario companies, this is a costly and frustrating process that drains time, talent, and resources. For government, it’s a missed opportunity to solve problems at scale." We will monitor the Ontario Health Innovation Pathway in the months and years to come.