Expecting Ontario moms are travelling hours for routine ultrasounds amid sonographer shortage
Province faces a 20 per cent sonographer vacancy rate, according to national organization
Sylvia Lopez is 20-weeks pregnant, and estimates she’s spent more than 12 hours on the road travelling to and from ultrasound appointments so far.
uncertain
she → expect → appointments
The London, Ont., woman spent weeks calling imaging centres in her city and the surrounding area, but was told that there were no appointments available.
asserted
woman → spend → city
Eventually she got a booking in a clinic an hour and a half away in Milton, Ont.
asserted
she → get → Milton
“I’ve been to Milton multiple times and it’s hard.
asserted
it → ’ → Milton
It's transportation, it’s logistics, it’s gas money, it’s everything,” she said.
asserted
she → ’ → ?
Lopez is among many women in Ontario who are struggling to schedule routine ultrasound appointments due to growing waitlists and a shortage of sonographers.
asserted
who → struggle → sonographers
More than 10 million ultrasounds happen across the country annually, according to Sonography Canada director of professional affairs Tara Chegwin.
uncertain
ultrasounds → happen → Chegwin
“Even though the capacity within the system to provide more ultrasounds has grown, the demand has also grown,” she said.
asserted
she → provide → ultrasounds
Ultrasound wait times are approximately four weeks on average in Ontario, according to a recent report from the Fraser Institute.
uncertain
times → accord → Institute
Contributing to that wait time is the provincial vacancy rate for sonographers, which was 20 per cent in 2024 Chegwin said, though expecting parents are often prioritized within the appointment system.
asserted
parents → contribute → system
“For obstetric ultrasound, they have to occur at a specific time frame within the pregnancy, so those scans aren’t typically delayed like another type of ultrasound may be,” Chegwin said, adding that people getting abdominal, pelvic or thyroid ultrasounds may experience even longer waits.
uncertain
people → have → waits
“All of the sites are trying to get those scans done in the optimal window depending on the requisition and what the doctor requested, so everyone has their best interest in mind.”
asserted
everyone → try → mind
Onus on parents
Parents say there is a lot of pressure that comes with trying to book an ultrasound, especially because each must be timed with specific milestones in the pregnancy.
asserted
each → say → pregnancy
“It’s so stressful.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
You already have so many things going on in your mind about planning and worries if the baby is OK,” said London mom Rebecca Kennedy Briand.
asserted
Briand → have → planning
“It’s scary thinking that maybe I can’t get the care that I need.”
asserted
I → ’ → that
Both she and Lopez said that after they confirmed their pregnancy and received an ultrasound referral from a practitioner, the onus was on them to find a sonographer.
asserted
onus → say → sonographer
“It was very time-consuming on my lunch hour at work,” Kennedy Briand said.
asserted
Briand → consume → work
“Sometimes you’re put on hold, sometimes you can’t speak to a person, sometimes you’re waiting in the queue for a very long time.”
asserted
you → put → time
Kennedy Briand, who had her baby in April, travelled 30 minutes to Woodstock, Ont., for ultrasounds throughout her pregnancy.
asserted
who → have → pregnancy
She considers herself among the luckier parents.
asserted
herself → consider → parents
“There are a number of platforms like Facebook and Instagram where people have discussed this and I would say I see at least one post daily of a mom saying, ‘I’ve been calling around and I can’t get an ultrasound.
asserted
I → be → ultrasound
Where are you going?’” she said.
asserted
she → go → ?
“I’ve definitely seen moms post that they’re driving as far as Mississauga.
asserted
they → see → Mississauga
That stress continues during ongoing travel to appointments, Lopez said.
asserted
Lopez → continue → appointments
“Emotionally, it’s been draining.
asserted
it → drain → ?
The last one I went to had a heavy thunderstorm, the traffic on the 401, sometimes there’s accidents on the way that are not in your control.
asserted
that → go → control
You’re a little bit anxious,” she said.
asserted
she → ’re → ?
Push for more sonographers
Chegwin said there have been efforts to fill sonographer vacancies in the province.
asserted
Chegwin → push → province
There’s also a high number of new educational programs in the province to produce more graduates annually,” she said.
asserted
she → ’ → graduates
New Dalhousie ultrasound clinic targets staffing shortages and long waitlist
- Video
Ultrasound technology steps up at London, Ont., hospital with 3D imaging for high-risk pregnancies
Until then, Kennedy Briand has advice for expecting parents.
asserted
Briand → target → parents
Be ready to drive … and know about [the challenges] in advance, so maybe you’re less stressed,” she said.
asserted
she → drive → advance
Meanwhile, Lopez is reminding parents that they should not be hard on themselves during the process.
asserted
they → remind → process
“If there are any moms out there experiencing the same story as I am, I’d let them know they’re not alone and they’re not the only ones with bad luck.
asserted
they → be → luck
It’s just part of the system right now,” she said.
asserted
she → ’ → system
In a written statement provided to CBC News, a Ministry of Health spokesperson pointed to the province's recent efforts to add new health care professionals across the province as one of several ways officials are working to lower wait times.
asserted
officials → write → times
It also pointed to provincial rules in place to make it easier for those professionals to move to Ontario.
asserted
professionals → point → Ontario
"Ontario is the first in Canada to establish As of Right rules for health care professionals, including medical sonographers, which allows professionals registered in other Canadian jurisdictions to begin to practice in Ontario immediately," the statement reads.
asserted
statement → establish → Ontario
"In May 2026, our government directed several regulatory health colleges to develop frameworks enabling allied health professionals to order or perform diagnostic ultrasounds.
uncertain
professionals → direct → ultrasounds
This change aims to speed up patient care and reduce wait times by letting practitioners use their full training."
asserted
practitioners → aim → training
