‘Code red’: Health coalition calls for government intervention in Grey-Bruce cancer care

A health coalition is calling on the province to investigate Owen Sound’s cancer care, following concerns raised by a local patient. Scott Miller reports.

In November, Pat Kelly made a provincial plea for help with Owen Sound’s cancer care program.

“Cancer patients should not be begging to keep their oncologists,” said the Owen Sound resident.

Kelly, a palliative cancer patient in Owen Sound, says the loss of two oncologists and an inability to recruit replacements forced Brightshores Health System to stop accepting many newly diagnosed cancer patients in November 2024.

The addition of a part-time oncologist in September 2025 ended the referral program, say hospital officials. But Kelly, a long-time cancer care advocate, is worried that if one more oncologist departs, cancer care in Owen Sound - and the 160,000 resident catchment area it serves - would end.

She’s asking the provincial government to intervene with an immediate review of oncology services and governance at Brightshores, and the emergency deployment of oncology supports to stabilize Owen Sound’s cancer care programs.

“There needs to be accountability. Not because we don’t know the right things to do. It’s because I think nobody is measuring impacts, except the undertaker, and I don’t want to be part of those numbers. We need to fix that system,” said Kelly.

Brenda Scott and the Grey-Bruce Health Coalition are now involved. They too are calling for government intervention when it comes to cancer care in Grey-Bruce.

“We’re also asking them to do an investigation of cancer care in rural areas in Ontario because Grey-Bruce is not alone in this. There are many rural communities, and they also have issues. So, we’d like to have a specific examination of the cancer care in Ontario as well,” said Scott, chair of the Grey-Bruce Health Coalition.

Scott says Kelly and the coalition are planning town halls and rallies as a part of their ‘Code Red-Cancer Care in Grey-Bruce’ lobbying campaign.

“If we don’t have a fully operational cancer care centre in Owen Sound, it means that people are driving extraordinary distances for treatments and follow up. So, they could be driving to London, Kitchener, Toronto, I think I know some people that were even sent to Barrie,” she explained.

“Physician recruitment is a complex process, further challenged by the ongoing national shortage of specialists. Brightshores has much to offer to medical professionals. Earlier this year [2025], we were in advanced discussions with a highly promising candidate; however, that recruitment did not move forward. We remain focused and proactive in our efforts to fill this critical role and will continue to pursue every opportunity to strengthen our cancer program,” Brightshores’ Vice President of Clinical Program and Quality Beth Morris said regarding oncology recruitment efforts in Owen Sound in November 2025.

Kelly, who recently took part in a Grey-Bruce regional recruitment task force, has secured a meeting with Brightshores’ leadership later this month in order to discuss Owen Sound’s oncology program.

“None of them are making any effort at regional recruitment, and that is the future. Every other region in this province, in this country is doing those things. And we are losing out the competition, because we have a culture that is based on that conservative old system, and it’s not working,” she said.