Home Care Is Becoming Canada's Waitlist Strategy. Here's What Families Pay When the Public Hours Run Out

Governments are betting on care at home

With long-term care beds slow to build, provinces are putting more money into keeping seniors at home. Ontario's 2026 Budget adds $1.1 billion over three years for home and community care, on top of $1.1 billion announced in fall 2025, according to the 2026 Ontario Budget. It reports a 94 per cent drop in patients waitlisted for home-based personal support between 2022-23 and 2024-25.

B.C. is expanding its Long-term Care at Home program, which pairs virtual monitoring with home support, to as many as 2,700 seniors by 2028, according to BC Gov News. New Brunswick's 2026-27 plan adds $10 million to make home care more affordable, according to the Government of New Brunswick.

Public hours are a base, not the whole plan

Publicly funded home care is assessed by need and local capacity. A parent may be approved for a few visits a week and still need help every morning and evening, overnight, or on weekends. That's where most families start paying privately.

What private home care costs

Few agencies publish their rates. Only 23 of the 1,497 home care agencies on Senior Care Path show a price. Among the 20 that publish an hourly rate, the median is $30.50 an hour, with a range of $22 to $40, in line with the $28 to $40 an hour Ontario families typically pay for a personal support worker in 2026.

Monthly figures are illustrative ranges from our private home care guide. At the heavy end, private home care costs more than most retirement homes, which is why some families eventually choose a move.

How families use both

The approach that works best is to layer them. Apply for public home care first and take every hour offered, then pay privately for the gaps, ideally with the same agency so your parent sees familiar faces. Revisit the plan every few months, because needs change.

Families can compare home care agencies in Toronto and other cities, and read our home care guide for how to choose one.