The Top 10 Canadian Health System Priorities and the Innovators Working to Solve Them
The Canadian healthcare system is starting to feel like a relic—a 90s relic, at that. Think dial-up internet, VHS tapes, and pagers when the world’s moved on to Wi-Fi, streaming, and smartphones. It’s overworked, outdated, and woefully ill-equipped to handle the growing demands of an aging population, skyrocketing mental health needs, and a workforce running on empty. Add ER wait times that could double as endurance tests, and you’ve got a system waving a big, red SOS.
Enter 2025, with a federal election that brings the chance to rewrite this story—or double down on the same, tired tune.
Healthcare may be the provinces’ constitutional sandbox, but make no mistake: the federal government is holding the shovel. Billions in health transfers mean Ottawa’s got both the leverage and the responsibility to drive transformative change. It’s not just about writing bigger cheques; it’s about wielding influence to tackle the big-ticket items—think digital modernization, accessible primary care, and yes, even thoughtful immigration policies that could bring reinforcements to our overburdened system.
Here’s the kicker: while governments debate, the private sector is getting things done. Entrepreneurs are already building the solutions to our most pressing problems. From virtual care platforms to tools easing workforce burnout, these companies are addressing the cracks in the system with creativity and speed that bureaucracy can’t match.
The message to federal leaders is clear: stop viewing private companies as outsiders and start treating them as partners. These innovators aren’t working against the system—they’re working to save it. As the election looms, Canadians deserve leaders who won’t just make promises, but who will engage the problem solvers already doing the hard work.
1. Long-Term Care of the Elderly
This is a topic I’ve tackled before, and it stands as one of the defining challenges of our generation. With a staggering 20% of Canadians now aged 65 and older, long-term care (LTC) is no longer a niche concern—it’s a national crisis. The issues are manifold: outdated nursing homes, a lack of affordable senior housing, and a failure to embrace the “age in place” model. Our senior care system is stuck in a time warp, where residents are relegated to institutional settings instead of being supported in their own homes or modern, well-designed communities. The question is: how do we create a system that supports these individuals with dignity?
Spotlight:
Sagecare is taking a holistic, person-centric approach to dementia care, ensuring that seniors can age in a small-scale eldger living community with the support they need.
Memory & Company is redefining memory care for dementia patients, offering upscale, boutique-like care facilities that cater to both the emotional and physical needs of residents.
2. Digital & Data Modernization
Canada’s healthcare system is still struggling to drag itself into the digital age. While other industries have embraced cloud-based solutions, telemedicine, and interoperable data systems, healthcare is stuck in the past with fragmented patient records and clunky data-sharing practices. Canada’s health tech market is growing at 15% annually, but there’s a long road ahead to ensure that digital health tools are not only cutting-edge but also secure. From virtual care to data privacy, the digitalization of healthcare will need to address both technological and regulatory hurdles.
Spotlight:
Smile Digital Health, focuses on providing secure, compliant data infrastructure services. They specialize in HL7 FHIR-based solutions, utilizing the HAPI framework for healthcare data interoperability. Smile’s technology and team are the international gold stard in interoperability.
3. Wait Times in Emergency Departments
Canadian emergency departments are in the midst of a crisis. On average, patients in ERs are waiting 12 hours to be seen, with some waiting as long as 36 hours. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reported that emergency visits in Canada increased by 30% over the last decade, further straining an already overwhelmed system. The wait time is not just an inconvenience—it’s a serious risk to patient health, leading to worse outcomes and prolonged suffering. So, what’s the solution to this bottleneck?
Spotlight:
Signal 1 is an AI-driven platform that uses predictive analytics to streamline patient triage, helping ER teams prioritize and manage cases more effectively.
Verto Health is working on improving emergency department processes by using data to predict patient flow, ensuring that patients aren’t left waiting for hours—or worse, in critical condition.
4. Health Workforce – Remodel, Attract, Retain
Our healthcare workforce is burnt out, underpaid, and stretched thin. With an aging population and a growing demand for services, attracting and retaining healthcare professionals is more important than ever. The shortage of doctors, nurses, and other medical staff is a crisis in the making, and it’s going to take more than just raising salaries to fix it. We need to overhaul education systems, improve worker support, and provide long-term incentives to ensure the health workforce is resilient and ready for the challenges ahead.
Spotlight:
Caribou Rewards is addressing the burnout crisis with a platform that helps healthcare organizations offer personalized benefits, wellness programs, and rewards to their staff. The goal is to increase retention by improving job satisfaction and well-being, ensuring that frontline workers have the support they need to stay in the profession.
5. Primary Care
~20% of Canadians are without a family doctor, which is a serious issue given that primary care is the backbone of our health system. A shortage of doctors, long wait times, and limited access to care means that people often turn to ERs or urgent care clinics for non-emergency issues. Additionally, with growing demand, there’s increasing support for expanding the role of nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and physiotherapists in primary care. But, how do we make primary care more accessible and equitable?
Spotlight:
Maple has revolutionized access to primary care with its virtual platform that connects patients with doctors online, offering everything from prescriptions to consultations, 24/7. By providing a convenient, efficient solution, Maple is helping reduce the strain on traditional healthcare settings and making primary care more accessible to Canadians who might otherwise go without.
6. New Care Models
The traditional hospital model is no longer sustainable. We need new, integrated care models that address patients' needs across the continuum of care—from prevention to home care, from hospital to home. Models like hospital-to-home and bundled care are emerging as promising alternatives. These models reduce costs, improve outcomes, and allow patients to receive care in more comfortable settings. The future of healthcare is integrated, flexible, and patient-centered.
Spotlight:
SE Health, the only not-for-profit on the list, is redefining what home healthcare looks like by combining technology with in-home care services. Their integrated model allows patients to transition seamlessly from hospital to home, while providing continuous care and monitoring. Their work is pioneering a future where healthcare is delivered in the most patient-friendly environment possible: the home.
7. Mental Health Care Access
Mental health care demand in Canada has surged by over 400%, yet the system remains inadequate. The majority of Canadian ecounter challenges navigating the mental health care system, with many waiting upwards of 30 days for help and 10% wait for over 4 months. The stigma surrounding mental health is slowly lifting, but the gap in services remains a massive challenge.
Spotlight:
Shift Collab and Layla both offers online therapy and counseling, making mental health support more accessible to busy Canadians. Both are part of the growing movement to ensure that mental health services are available to all, not just those with the resources to wait months for care.
8. Elective Procedure & Imaging Backlog
The pandemic created a backlog of over 4 million elective procedures, and wait times for imaging have soared. Patients are waiting years for critical surgeries, and the system is scrambling to catch up. This backlog creates delayed diagnoses, worsened health outcomes, and increased healthcare costs in the long run.
Spotlight:
PocketHealth is empowering patients individuals to access and manage their medical records securely. Users can view their health information online, leading to better understanding of their medical history and allowing them to advocate for their health.
RamSoft is helping healthcare providers manage the growing backlog with an imaging platform that streamlines workflow, reduces wait times, and improves diagnostic accuracy. Their software is enabling clinics and hospitals to clear backlogs faster while maintaining the highest standards of care.
9. Equity Gaps
Canada’s healthcare system has significant equity gaps, particularly for racialized communities, rural populations, and Indigenous peoples. These groups often face worse health outcomes due to systemic barriers like discrimination, distance, and financial hardship. The key to solving this issue lies in creating a more inclusive and equitable system that reaches everyone, regardless of background or location.
Spotlight:
PurposeMed is working to close these equity gaps by offering affordable, accessible healthcare services to underserved populations. Their telemedicine and mobile clinic model allows them to reach rural, Indigenous, and low-income communities, providing high-quality care to those who need it most.
10. Administrative Efficiency
Healthcare professionals spend too much time on administrative tasks—scheduling, billing, insurance paperwork, and patient records—leaving less time for actual patient care. Streamlining these administrative processes is crucial to improving efficiency, reducing burnout, and increasing the overall quality of care.
Spotlight:
Jane Software and Practice Better are making administrative tasks easier for healthcare providers with their intuitive practice management platforms. From simplifying scheduling to reducing billing headaches, both companies are helping to increase the efficiency of healthcare practices so clinicians can focus more on their patients and less on paperwork.
As we head toward the 2025 federal election, Canada’s healthcare system finds itself at a crossroads. The issues we’ve outlined here—long wait times, an aging population, a workforce in crisis, and a pressing need for digital modernization—are not new, but they are reaching a tipping point. The status quo simply won’t cut it anymore, and the status quo is exactly what we’ll get unless our political leaders step up and make the tough choices.
The good news? We already have the solutions. Across the country, Canadian businesses are stepping in to solve these problems in innovative, effective ways. From virtual care platforms that give Canadians more access to timely healthcare, to home care models that allow seniors to age with dignity, to tech solutions that reduce administrative burdens, the private sector is leading the charge.
The truth is, Canada’s healthcare system needs more than just a makeover. It needs a revolution. And it won’t happen without collaboration between government, healthcare professionals, and the entrepreneurs who are already working on the ground to make it happen.