On a chilly March night in Queen West, Keisha Brown’s four-year-old started wheezing. Instead of braving a midnight trek to SickKids, the graphic designer grabbed her phone. Within eight minutes, a Your Doctors Online physician confirmed mild croup, sent a steroid prescription to a 24-hour Shoppers on College, and e-mailed a daycare note. Keisha had meds in hand before a cab could cross Spadina. In a city where 2.5 million Ontarians lack a family doctor, per the Ontario Medical Association, stories like hers are redefining healthcare from Scarborough to Etobicoke.
That kind of story is echoing across the GTA. New figures show 2.5 million Ontarians—roughly one in six—are already without a family physician, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information calculates that 15 per cent of emergency-department visits last year involved problems that primary care, often virtual primary care, could have handled; more than half of those were classified as “virtual-ready”. With in-person supply falling and need climbing, the fastest-growing waiting room now lives in our pockets.
Three prominent apps, one city, and a growing reliance on virtual care
Your Doctors Online — Born in Canada and powered by clinicians across Toronto and other cities, the platform has surpassed 1.5 million virtual consultations across Canada and the U.S. as of May 22, 2025. Users report sub-ten-minute connections to an online doctor Ontario licensed physician, chat threads that stay open for photo updates, and language support. In Keisha’s case, the follow-up mattered: two days later she sent a new cough video, received reassurance, and avoided a needless clinic run.
Maple — Founded by a Toronto ER physician, Maple now connects millions of Canadians to primary and specialist care by video or chat, and supports provincial initiatives such as Nova Scotia’s VirtualCareNS program.
TELUS Health Virtual Care — Leveraging national telecom infrastructure, TELUS Health delivers on-demand consultations and prescription services to millions of Canadians through both employer-sponsored benefits and individual subscriptions.
Why virtual care is gaining traction
● Speed with Continuity – Many platforms are designed to keep conversations alive. Manpreet Singh, a Brampton resident, used Your Doctors Online to share photos of a stubborn sinus infection, receiving antibiotics after his first chat. When he developed a rash two days later, he posted a picture in the same chat and had his dose adjusted without re-queuing.
● Paperwork, Simplified – For busy families and professionals, the administrative side of healthcare is a major hurdle. Services that can email secure PDFs of sick notes for HR or a clearance form for a child’s summer camp in minutes are proving invaluable.
● Built for a Diverse City – For newcomers navigating a complex system, the accessibility of these apps can be transformative. Ana Ferreira, new to Canada, used a chat-based service to arrange her initial prenatal care and coordinate lab requisitions. “It was the first time medicine felt like it was built to meet me where I was,” she said.
What this means beyond anecdotes
● Unclogged Corridors – Redirecting even a fraction of the “virtual-ready” ER traffic could restore thousands of bedside nursing hours. In early 2025, the median wait time at SickKids’ emergency department was over four and a half hours. Relieving that pressure allows hospitals to focus on the acute cases that need them most.
● Time Won Back – Based on its user data, Your Doctors Online estimates an average 72-minute saving per visit when factoring in travel and wait times. Multiplied by hundreds of thousands of visits, that recovered time represents a stealth productivity bump for the city’s economy.
● Climate Dividend – While not a primary driver, the reduction in single-purpose car trips for coughs and rashes aligns with the city’s net-zero goals, offering a small but meaningful environmental benefit.
The New Normal
Proponents and providers are clear that virtual care is a powerful tool, not a panacea. It cannot replace the necessity of in-person examinations for many conditions, from stitching a cut to complex diagnostics. Red-flag symptoms, such as chest pain or severe injury, always warrant a 911 call.
For Keisha Brown and thousands like her, the calculation is immediate: a late-night cough, an online doctor, and medicine ready before dawn. In a city where the search for a family doctor often feels like winning housing in the Annex, the stethoscope many Torontonians trust most is now attached to their Wi-Fi. And with a doctor on call 24/7, online doctor prescriptions zipping through the ether, and digital doors that never really close, telehealth is no longer Plan B—it’s the new normal.
