Ontario to expand access to fertility services with $150M over two years

Ontario is set to expand the number of clinics where people can access publicly funded fertility services such as in vitro fertilization, as part of a $150-million expansion to the program.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the new funding, over two years, will triple the number of families able to get government-funded services in hospitals and clinics.

The government says the Ontario Fertility Program is currently offered through 50 clinics that provide IVF, intra-uterine insemination and fertility preservation services.

Each patient is eligible for one publicly funded IVF cycle in their lifetime.

The government says further details on the expansion will be in the spring budget.

Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy also says he is proposing a new tax credit, effective in January, to cover up to 25 per cent of eligible expenses such as IVF cycles, fertility medication, travel for treatment, and diagnostic testing, to a maximum of $5,000 per year.