Ontario invests $100M to expand IVF access and slash wait-lists

Fertility advocates say the province is now one step closer to eliminating long waitlists for treatment following a significant new investment from the Ford government.

The province announced another round of funding Tuesday that will support 27 clinics across Ontario in providing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, including locations in the Halton and Hamilton regions.

For Zane and Baden Colt, the announcement marks a hopeful turn in what has been a long and expensive journey. The married couple is currently expecting their second child at the end of the summer, a milestone reached after three rounds of IVF and two surrogates.

“We were patients in advance of this additional funding, so there was a long waitlist,” Zane Colt said. “We did have to bounce around to a couple of different clinics to find the right doctor for us and find the right clinic for us. And it is incredibly costly.”

The couple welcomed their first child, Scottie, two and a half years ago with the help of a surrogate. To date, their journey toward parenthood has cost approximately $80,000 and spanned several years.

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The investment is part of a $250-million commitment first announced by the Ontario government last summer. The funding is intended for hospitals and community clinics to help shorten waitlists that previously saw hopeful parents waiting one to two years to access the single round of IVF covered by the province.

Tuesday’s announcement doles out $100 million of that funding to 27 clinics, including the Halton Fertility and Women’s Health Centre in Oakville.

“With the expansion of the Ontario Fertility Program, we now fund 56 clinics that provide publicly funded fertility services,” said Health Minister Sylvia Jones. Jones noted the program has helped nearly 133,000 Ontarians build their families since its inception.

The $100 million allocated today is expected to fund an additional 10,000 IVF cycles this year.

Zane, who serves as the board chair for the fertility advocacy organization Conceivable Dreams, welcomed the news but urged the ministry to extend the funding beyond its current three-year commitment.

“I think that they’ve really knocked it out of the park with improving the waitlist and improving access,” Colt said. “So it wouldn’t make sense to go back and have waitlists again after next year.”

This year also marks the first time prospective parents can claim a portion of their fertility-related expenses through the Ontario Fertility Treatment Tax Credit. Advocates note that even with government-funded cycles, patients often pay thousands of dollars out of pocket or through insurance for medications, embryo testing and storage fees—costs that remain a significant barrier for many families.

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