The New Brunswick Transgender Health Network is calling on the regional health authorities and the provincial government to establish a provincial gender-affirming care clinic.
Two-Spirit, transgender and gender-diverse individuals (2STGD), the network explains, face wait times of up to five years for gender-affirming care, with many essential procedures, and services remain unfunded and inaccessible.
“The vision is to create a centralized clinic where the scattered providers, who are providing care, will be sort of housed together in order to improve access to care for individuals, and make sure that we’re meeting the standards of wrap-around care,” said Dr. Kathleen Taylor in an interview with The Courier.
Taylor is a physician, and a clinical assistant professor for the Department of Family Medicine at Memorial University in Newfoundland. She lives in Fredericton.
According to a 2020 TransPulse survey, 64 per cent of 2STGD individuals reported unmet health needs in New Brunswick.
“There was a community assessment that was done a couple of years ago focusing on 2STGD pathways and what they found was a lot of people do not have access to primary care,” Taylor said, adding she knows this is also an issue facing my New Brunswickers regardless of gender identity.
She said that when looking at someone seeking gender-affirming care, there is often a mental health or social work component. Taylor added that there is a scattered network of doctors who do provide hormone prescribing — some are primary care providers and endocrinologists — but wait times are highly variable and most of those services are only accessible by referral.
“If patients don’t have access to a referring provider then they are unable, sometimes, to get their foot in the door in terms of starting their medical transition,” Taylor said.
According to Statistics Canada’s 2021 census data, Fredericton ranked third highest in gender diversity at 0.6 per cent, behind Halifax at 0.66 per cent and Victoria at 0.75 per cent.
Nova Scotia Health committed to expanding gender-affirming care last year by replicating a clinic opened in the Annapolis Valley in 2024, according to CBC Nova Scotia.
Prince Edward Island is ranked among the best provinces in Canada for gender-affirming care, including coverage for non-surgical needs, such as hair removal and medication, according to CBC PEI.
Advocates on the Island, though, say more support is needed for aftercare.
The organization is seeking:
- A dedicated location for coordinated gender-affirming hormone therapy, surgical navigation, and mental health support.
- In-person and virtual navigation services for patients and families around the province.
- A reliable point of contact for providers seeking consultation or clinical guidance.
- Partnerships with community organizations, Indigenous communities, and educational institutions.
- System-wide training and a virtual community of practice.
In mandate letters released by the Holt government, Dr. John Dornan—an endocrinologist in New Brunswick—was asked to work toward adjusting the billing process to ensure gender-affirming care for the 2SLGBTIA+ community.
The promise was also included in their election platform, with the note it would provide members of the community with quality health and mental health care, including longer appointment times and gender-affirming care.
The Liberals also unveiled a new Policy 713, which had been changed under the Progressive Conservative to require parental consent for children and youth to change their name or pronoun reflecting their sexual orientation and gender identity—and then removed that requirement, saying that parental consent is “encouraged,” but not required,
“I would like to see them start working on the process,” Taylor said. “I think we can see from what they are doing right now with primary care that they have the ability to and the means to actually move quite quickly on these projects.”
Taylor said the province has established a number of collaborative care clinics across New Brunswick, committing during the election to having 30 by 2028. She would like to see this happen within the next year.
“We just want to see patients be able to access the care that they require and deserve within a time frame that is actually meeting their needs, and that people aren’t falling through the cracks and losing access to care,” Taylor said.
She explained that current providers are scattered throughout the province, and when one provider stops being able to offer that care, they are not always able to connect patients with other gender-affirming providers.
“And then patients go extensive periods of time and maybe even sometimes years in between providers,” Taylor explained.
Dr. John Dornan, health minister, said the department recognizes the importance of gender-affirming care.
“The Department of Health has received a funding request and we are reviewing it as part of our budget process,” he said in a statement to The Courier.
