Wasaga Beach welcomes newest family physician serving full roster of patients

Meet Dr. Yannick Charette: Wasaga Beach’s newest family physician.

With more than 15 years of experience, he is the second new family physician hired in Wasaga Beach in less than two years.

Residents who have been without a doctor for years say they’re thrilled. “We have to drive to Brampton an hour and a half from where we live just to see one,” said resident Cidalia Rosha.

Dr. Charette practiced medicine in Sudbury for 13 years. He moves to Wasaga Beach with his wife and four children, and says the community was an obvious choice both personally and professionally.

“Our job is in demand across Ontario, but you also want to surround yourself with a good team and a good community. I feel that Wasaga Beach is the perfect place for that,” he said.

Some residents had started to lose hope of finding a doctor. “We were thinking we weren’t going to have a doctor for the next couple of years, but here you are,” said one local to CTV News.

The town has made recruiting physicians one of its top priorities.

Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith says more are still needed. “We have a $100,000 incentive that we offer to doctors over a period of time to come here. We also have this beautiful facility, owned by the town, that they’ll move into as Dr. Charette has,” Smith said.

Dr. Charette expects to have a full roster of patients within the next couple of months. His goal is to serve 2,000 patients, with the potential to grow that number over the next year.