Canada has loads of family doctors — but you probably can't find one

Plus, Bonnie Crombie's Greenbelt backlash and Ottawa's action on food prices [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on why you still can’t find a family doctor, Greenbelt backlash coming for Bonnie Crombie and a possible end to rising food costs. DON’T MISS Canadian Press File Photo healthcare [Canada now has more family doctors per capita than ever — here’s why you can’t find one anyway]( If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of Canadians on a wait list for a family physician, you may be shocked to discover there are now more family doctors per capita than ever before. It certainly doesn’t feel that way. A recent survey found nearly half of Canadians either don’t have a family doctor or struggle to see the one they have, Steve McKinley reports. In reality, while there are more family physicians, many of them are preoccupied with other patients, like those in the nation’s large aging population, who may require more complex procedures. [Here’s what else is bogging down Canada’s health care system](. - By the numbers: The number of family doctors in Canada has risen from 96 per 100,000 people in 2001 to an all-time high of 124 per 100,000 in 2021. However, those in community-based practice have increased only slightly and the number of patient visits per physician has declined. - Meanwhile: A recent report argued that to fix Canada’s struggling health care system, [every Canadian should be connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner](. Graham Paine/Metroland provincial politics [Bonnie Crombie came under fire for her past Greenbelt comments]( The perceived front-runner to lead Ontario’s Liberal party, Bonnie Crombie took shots from her rivals Thursday night over her past comments on leaving the door open for some development in the Greenbelt. “Are we going to win with a leader who said we’re going to open up the Greenbelt?” Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith asked the crowd during the party’s first leadership debate. Earlier in June, Premier Doug Ford used Crombie’s remarks to claim she endorsed his controversial Greenbelt plans. The Mississauga mayor later clarified her comments, saying, “my instinct is to protect the Greenbelt.” [Catch up on all the highlights from the big debate](. - Context: Crombie’s Greenbelt comments came as she addressed reporters following the [launch of her bid for Ontario Liberal leadership](. She said local communities and municipalities could ask her government to swap undeveloped lands on the boundaries of urban development zones “trapped” in the Greenbelt in exchange for new land added to the protected zone. - Why it matters: [Ford’s Greenbelt land swap scandal is anticipated to be a hot button issue in the battle for Ontario’s next premier]( after two damning reports from provincial watchdogs found the plans “favoured certain developers” and lacked sufficient oversight. Lance McMillan/The Star cost of living [Justin Trudeau tells grocery store chains to “stabilize” food prices – or Ottawa will take action]( Canada’s grocery giants will have until Thanksgiving to declare how they’ll “stabilize” food prices amid record profits – or else the federal government will take action to bring costs down, Trudeau warned Thursday. Canada’s federal industry minister added they’re giving the companies “a chance” to stop increasing food prices, but warned: “If they fail to act, there will be consequences.” Among them would be unspecified “tax measures,” prompting NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to say Trudeau’s threats were “too vague” to force big corporations to act. [Here’s what we know about Ottawa’s demands](. - More: Industry critics blasted the move, saying Ottawa would also need to limit price increases from suppliers that lead to heightened grocery costs. - Go deeper: Trudeau’s comments follow the federal government summoning the nation’s top grocers — including the heads of Loblaw, Empire and Metro — [to a meeting Monday to discuss “stabilizing” food prices](. - Wait, what? Ottawa’s warning came the same day Empire announced an almost 40 per cent rise in quarterly profits. [A previous Star investigation found Canadian supermarkets are reporting increasing profits off the back of inflation](. WHAT ELSE Will Justin Trudeau’s plan to end GST on new rental buildings actually help tenants? [Here]( how it would work](. Ontario’s prepping for virus season with [shots for COVID-19, the flu and a first-ever RSV vaccine](. [Durham Region residents are facing massive property tax hikes]( in the 2024 regional budget. [Hunter Biden has been indicted on federal firearm-purchasing charges]( after his plea deal collapsed. [Three teenage boys have been charged]( in connection with a woman’s sexual assault near York University. The trial of Nathaniel Veltman is [reviewing hours of footage taken after the alleged white-nationalist’s arrest](. Toronto gridlock is so bad, even celebrities are [saying it will “kill your soul.”]( The OPP cautioned a driver after a [road rage incident sparked a brawl on the 401](. [Blue Jays got booed off the field by home fans]( after a devastating 10-0 loss to the Rangers. She danced with Putin at her wedding. [Now this former Austrian official has moved to Russia](. Here’s why spas can spread “serious infections” and [how you can keep yourself safe](. T&T supermarket is opening a second downtown location. [Here’s when and where](. POV Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star [This billion dollar courthouse is a monument to the Ford government’s failure to plan.]( CLOSE-UP Abdullah Doma/AFP via Getty Images LIBYA: Cars and rubble pile atop overrun wave-breakers in the aftermath of flash floods that decimated the eastern town of Derna this week, [killing over 11,000 people and leaving thousands more missing](. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_198988). Andrew will see you back here tomorrow. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. 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