You are 20 weeks pregnant; your doctor hands you a requisition, and then the real work starts. For a growing number of Ontario parents, that work now includes hours on the 401.
CBC News reported this week on expectant parents in London who are driving long distances for routine pregnancy scans because they cannot get appointments closer to home. Rising ultrasound wait times are turning a standard part of prenatal care into a logistical project, and the reason sits on the staffing side of the system rather than the equipment side.
What is behind the shortage of ultrasound technicians?
People, specifically the people qualified to perform the scans. Ontario's shortage of ultrasound technicians sat at a 20 percent vacancy rate in 2024, according to Sonography Canada, whose director of professional affairs, Kirsten Crandall, spoke to CBC about the pressure on booking.
Demand has climbed alongside capacity. Millions of ultrasounds are performed across Canada every year, and while the system has grown, the volume of requisitions has grown with it. The result is a squeeze on booking that lands unevenly, because clinics have to prioritize the scans that cannot wait, and ultrasound wait times stretch furthest for everything else.
Who waits longest for a pregnancy ultrasound?
Pregnant patients are usually prioritised, since a pregnancy ultrasound has to happen inside specific windows to be useful at all. An anatomy scan around 20 weeks cannot simply be pushed to next season. That prioritisation has a flip side: people waiting for abdominal, pelvic or thyroid scans may wait considerably longer.
One London parent, 20 weeks pregnant with her third child, told CBC she spent weeks phoning imaging centres before booking a slot in Milton, roughly an hour and a half away, and estimates she has already spent more than 12 hours on the road for appointments. Another drove 30 minutes to Woodstock for scans throughout her pregnancy and considers herself one of the fortunate ones. The stress compounds during pregnancy, when travel itself becomes harder, and it echoes what expectant parents already face around heat and travel in summer.
How do you speed up booking an ultrasound?
The burden of finding a slot usually falls on the patient, which is the part parents describe as most exhausting. Both parents interviewed said that after receiving a referral, they were the ones calling clinic after clinic and scanning local social media groups where somebody asks daily where a scan can be found.
Booking an ultrasound goes faster with a few tactics. Start the moment the requisition is in your hand rather than waiting for a convenient week. Ask the referring office whether they know which imaging centres currently have shorter lists, since staff often do. Widen your search radius earlier than feels reasonable, because a clinic 40 minutes away with an opening next week beats one nearby with an opening in six. And ask to be added to cancellation lists at more than one site.
Where might shorter wait times actually come from?
There is movement on the supply side. Sonography Canada points to international recruitment and a growing number of training programmes in the province producing more graduates each year. Ontario's Ministry of Health has highlighted its As of Right rules, which allow health professionals registered elsewhere in Canada, sonographers included, to begin practising in Ontario immediately.
In May 2026, the province also directed several regulatory health colleges to develop frameworks allowing allied health professionals to order or perform diagnostic ultrasounds, a change aimed at delivering shorter wait times by widening the bottleneck. None of that helps a parent who needs an anatomy scan next month, and it fits a broader pattern across the system, from specialist waits to staffing pressure in emergency departments.
How long are ultrasound waits in Ontario?
Ultrasound wait times vary widely by region and by clinic, and reporting suggests they now stretch to weeks in many areas. Pregnant patients are typically prioritized because obstetric scans are time-sensitive, so people waiting for abdominal, pelvic or thyroid imaging often wait longest. Availability can differ substantially between neighbouring communities.
Why is there a sonographer shortage?
Ontario recorded a 20 percent sonographer vacancy rate in 2024, according to Sonography Canada. Demand for imaging has grown alongside system capacity, so added scanning hours have been absorbed rather than easing the queue. Training pipelines and international recruitment are expanding, though both take years to change staffing levels.
What can I do if I cannot book a pregnancy scan?
Start calling as soon as you receive the requisition, ask your provider's office which clinics currently have shorter waits, and widen your search area sooner than you think necessary. Ask to join cancellation lists at several imaging centres. Tell your provider if you cannot find a slot inside the recommended window.
Are obstetric ultrasounds prioritized?
Generally yes, because scans in pregnancy must occur within defined windows to provide useful information. That prioritization means other patients, including those referred for abdominal, pelvic or thyroid imaging, may wait longer. It does not guarantee a nearby appointment, which is why some parents still travel considerable distances.
Finding care should not take a dozen phone calls. Medimap can narrow the search, letting you find and book a family doctor or clinic near you, compare what is actually available in your area, or browse the Health Hub for more on navigating the system.
This article is general information and not medical advice. It is not a substitute for care from your own doctor or midwife. In a medical emergency, call 911.
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