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Ontario 2018 provincial election

Of the more than 100 types of arthritis, most are autoimmune-related (like cancer and multiple sclerosis) and affect the joints in the body, internal organs, and connective tissues. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in Ontario and a significant economic burden related to direct healthcare costs and indirect costs to the economy related to lost employment, sick leave, and absenteeism.

Arthritis today affects one in five or approximately 3 million Ontario residents. The time to address models of care in arthritis is now after years of being at the back of line of health care planning and delivery. The way people living with arthritis access and receive healthcare varies significantly across Ontario. This affects Ontario voters living with inflammatory arthritis – like rheumatoid arthritis – who depend on getting a timely and accurate diagnosis, fast access to rheumatologists, appropriate public reimbursement for needed disease-modifying medications, among other critical elements of an arthritis model of care.

Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) has asked each political party running in the Ontario provincial election what their government, if elected, would do to improve the level of arthritis prevention, treatment, and care in Ontario.

Any responses received by ACE will be archived and posted as they arrive.

ACE survey and party responses

ACE letter sent to each candidate included: Party responses to survey Individual Candidate Responses*
This section will be updated as we receive responses from individual candidates.
Questions Voiced by the Public and Patients with Arthritis
  • Will you consider arthritis a health priority for Ontario and implement high quality, standardized evidence-based models of arthritis care for all Ontario residents?
  • How do you plan to continue and improve virtual care?
  • What will your government do to improve the healthcare and lives of Indigenous peoples living with arthritis in Ontario?
  • Will you take steps to increase the number of rheumatologists and trained arthritis professionals to ensure timely, specialized care for Ontario patients with arthritis?
  • Will your government catch up to Quebec, B.C. and Alberta and improve the uptake of biosimilars and reinvest those savings to support additional medication listings and improve patient coverage?
  • Will you improve joint surgery wait times so that they are within medically recommended guidelines?
Any questions received by ACE will be posted anonymously.

Ways to vote
To make voting easier for all voters, Elections Ontario has provided several options, including voting on election day, advance voting and vote by mail. For more information, visit the Elections Ontario website.
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