Pan-Canadian imaging task force to convene through November 2026

Task force mandate and membership

The task force includes representatives from provincial and territorial ministries of health, radiology and nuclear medicine specialists, and patient and caregiver representatives. Its mandate is to identify high-priority issues in medical imaging and develop coordinated, evidence-informed approaches to system challenges.

The task force is chaired by Brian Martell, a former director of diagnostic imaging operations in the Central Zone of Nova Scotia Health from 2016 to 2022. Marc Lamoureux, Head of the Digital Health Division at Health Canada, represents the federal regulator; his division is responsible for the regulatory approval of CT scanners, PET/CT scanners, fluoroscopy systems, ultrasound scanners, and mammography systems in Canada.

The context: wait times above target

The task force is being convened against a backdrop of documented access pressures. In 2023, wait times for medically necessary elective CT exams exceeded the recommended 30-day maximum target in all provinces (data for territories were not available) apart from Quebec, with a national average wait time of 46 days. For MRI, wait times exceeded the 30-day recommended maximum target in all provinces, with a national average wait time of 90 days.

Canada remains below the average for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and is positioned in the bottom 30% of OECD countries in units per million population for CT, MRI, and PET-CT. The Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory also reports that most imaging equipment is more than 5 years old, and at least one-third of equipment is more than 10 years old.

Private facility footprint

The most recent Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory report notes an increased reliance on the private delivery of publicly funded exams, which has resulted in the expansion of private services, chain ownerships, and investment firm acquisition of private imaging facilities. Advanced imaging modalities including CT, MRI, PET-CT, SPECT, SPECT-CT, and PET-MRI are used routinely in publicly funded radiology and nuclear medicine departments and in private imaging facilities across Canada, with a geographic concentration in urban settings.

Readers tracking market activity can review private MRI clinics in Alberta, private MRI clinics in British Columbia, and private MRI clinics in Quebec on this site.

Provincial pressures

A Fraser Institute commentary published alongside Alberta's new self-referral diagnostic imaging policy reports median wait times in Alberta's government system of approximately seven months for MRI and approximately three-and-a-half months for CT. The commentary notes that under Alberta's policy, the provincial government will reimburse patients if a new cancer diagnosis is discovered by a private scan.

What the task force will produce

According to CDA-AMC, members will exchange expertise and best practices, assess current and emerging issues, and help shape evidence priorities that guide CDA-AMC work in medical imaging. The task force may also advise on data and analysis needs to improve system performance and inform enhancements to national tools such as the Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory.

For price and exam-level comparisons, see brain MRI pricing in Alberta, knee MRI pricing in Alberta, and additional coverage on the MRI news desk.