Health: 1)Ontario considers allowing over-the-counter hearing aids; 2)Province says people in Simcoe County to benefit as funding announced for Southlake expansion, new hospital in East Gwillimbury

1)Ontario considers allowing over-the-counter hearing aids

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Allison Jones, April 28, 2026

Ontarians with mild hearing loss could soon have access to over-the-counter hearing aids, under a regulatory change the government is considering.

The Ministry of Health has launched a 30-day consultation on allowing the sale and use of certain devices that function as hearing aids, without a prescription.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones says access to over-the-counter hearing aids would reduce barriers for people with hearing loss.

Health Canada has issued medical device licences for some wireless earbuds that have built-in hearing aid capabilities, but Ontario law currently bans selling a hearing aid unless it is prescribed by a doctor or audiologist.

The government says the Assistive Devices Program would still provide up to 75 per cent of the cost of prescribed hearing aids.

It says allowing over-the-counter hearing aids would complement the existing hearing aid prescription system and provide people with more choice.

2)Province says people in Simcoe County to benefit as funding announced for Southlake expansion, new hospital in East Gwillimbury

Courtesy Barrie360.com

By Ian MacLennan, April 28, 2026

The Ontario government has put $10 million on the table to advance Southlake Health’s planned expansion of its existing facility in Newmarket and to build a new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury.

The funding is to support early planning for the projects, which the province says will connect more than 250,000 people across communities in northern York Region and southern Simcoe County.

“On behalf of the County of Simcoe, we thank the Government of Ontario for its investment in Southlake Health, helping to grow and modernize the care and services provided to residents in the southern part of our region, as well as specialized programs that improve health outcomes for so many of our communities,” stated County of Simcoe Warden Basil Clarke in a news release.

In a statement, Premier Doug Ford touted the hospital projects the province is supporting.

“Our government is delivering on our plan to protect Ontario’s health-care system by investing $64 billion to build and upgrade over 50 hospitals across the province. With today’s announcement of a new, state-of-the-art hospital in East Gwillimbury and the redevelopment of Southlake Health in Newmarket, we’re ensuring that people in York Region and Simcoe County have reliable access to world-class care for generations to come.”

The new hospital is to be located northwest of Queensville Sideroad and Leslie Street, near the future Bradford Bypass corridor, and on land owned by Green Earth Village.

Once open, the new East Gwillimbury hospital would include expanded acute and post-acute care, including medicine, surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation, maternal and child health, and pediatric mental health. It would also feature increased inpatient capacity and a new emergency department with diagnostic imaging and upgraded infection prevention and control measures.

The current Southlake Health in Newmarket will be renovated and modernized, according to the province, with more inpatient beds and expanded emergency capacity.

“The new hospital in East Gwillimbury, together with significant upgrades to the Newmarket facility and expanded access to services in Bradford and Georgina, will ensure that residents across our region receive timely, high-quality care close to home,” Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor James Leduc said in a statement.

As a next step, the Ministry of Health is working with Southlake Health to complete early planning for the new hospital, including determining bed numbers and square footage. Once further planning is completed and the project is tendered and awarded, a construction schedule will be confirmed.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said the investment is intended to strengthen access to care across the region.

“This investment for a new hospital and redeveloped facilities at Southlake Health is another important step in building a stronger health-care system in York Region and Simcoe County that will connect more people and families to the care they need.”