Tiny Tots Montreal medical clinic closing, says doctor salary reform partly to blame

Another medical clinic in Montreal has announced that it is closing its doors, in part, due to the Quebec government’s controversial doctor salary law.

A sign on the door of the Tiny Tots pediatric clinic at Decarie Square says it will begin phasing out operations in early January 2026.

“Please be assured that we are actively working on relocation options to ensure continuity of care and to maintain the quality of service,” the sign states.

• READ MORE: ‘A cry from the heart’: Quebec doctors warn family clinics may close due to new salary law

It was once a thriving pediatric clinic, serving about 150,000 patients a year.

The clinic is operated by ELNA Medical Group, a Montreal-based company billed as having one of the largest networks of medical clinics, including several primary care centres in the Montreal area.

Only the pediatric clinic in Decarie Square, which serves more than 20,000 patients, is closing.

Oren Sebag, a Côte Saint-Luc city councillor who also manages the ELNA clinics, said Tuesday evening that the medical group has been facing financial difficulties over the past year and that an “exodus” of doctors has been an ongoing challenge.

After seeking creditor protection, the company was sold last summer to a group of investors.

The number of doctors has dwindled to a “skeleton crew” of about nine to 10, he said.

Recent tensions over the provincial government’s physician remuneration bill, known as Bill 2, have worsened the situation, Sebag added.

Bill 2 “was the nail in the coffin,” he said.

The law, which was passed under closure in October to speed up adoption, ties 10 per cent of a doctor’s salary to performance indicators set by the province.

If objectives aren’t met, including seeing more patients, a portion of their salary can be clawed back.

• READ MORE: What’s in Quebec’s controversial doctors’ bill?

It also includes stiff penalties for physicians who boycott or challenge the new law in a “concerted” effort.

Dr. Sarah Wizman, the former medical director of Tiny Tots, and has been with the clinic for over 10 years.

“I would never have imagined that it was closing. It’s very, very sad for a lot of us,” she told CTV News on Wednesday.

She said many doctors started leaving after the financial difficulties started and took their patients with them, making the clinic even more unsustainable.

“I think the cherry on the cake was really, when all these laws were announced,” Dr. Wizman added.

At the same time, other medical clinics are sending out notices to patients warning they could be next.

Step medical clinic, another pediatric clinic in Côte Saint-Luc, says if Bill 2 comes into effect in January, the clinic would be unsustainable, affecting 21,000 patients.

Patients with Centre Médical Santé Mont Royal received an email on Wednesday warning that the clinic risks closing as early as April 1, 2026.

In late November, Dr. Rachel Tessier, co-owner of the Centre médical pour enfants LaSalle, broke the news to her patients that she was closing her clinic in the spring, citing Bill 2 as the main reason.

GMF Hudson Medicentre, west of Montreal, also said it was closing as of April 1, 2026, due to the reform.

Doctors have strongly criticized the law for allowing inspectors to enter clinics to review sensitive files to ensure compliance.

The provincial government is still in negotiations with the heads of the two main federations representing family physicians and medical specialists before the controversial law goes into effect in the new year.

Both groups say the law is unsustainable.

The pressure is on the government to reach a deal as the last sitting day in the Quebec legislature before the holiday break is Friday.

With files from CTV News’ Matt Gilmour