Anaesthetics Consultant Jobs in Ontario, Canada

Quick answerWe're recruiting for a number of Consultant Anaesthetist posts across Ontario right now. They range from regional and rural hospitals to posts in the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa. UK anaesthetists with FRCA and a CCT can now be licensed in Ontario without sitting Canadian exams. Full time, expect to earn around CAD $400,000 to $500,000 (roughly £210k to £265k) on fee-for-service, and Ontario's Ministry of Health now pays anaesthetists stipends simply for taking on daily lists. Your hospital supports the work permit and after one year in post you can apply for permanent residence through Canada's physician-specific Express Entry draws.

Ontario has a genuine shortage of anaesthetists. Theatre lists get cancelled, backlogs are long and hospitals across the province are actively looking for experienced consultants from the UK.

Until recently that was hard to act on. Ontario used to insist on Canadian Royal College exams before a UK anaesthetist could practise independently. That changed in 2025, and the hospitals I work with have moved quickly to take advantage of it.

This article covers the posts we're recruiting for now, plus everything you'd want to know before applying. That means locations, earnings, rotas, licensing, visas, relocation support and what life's like for your family.

Current Consultant Anaesthetist jobs in Ontario

These are live posts we're recruiting for on behalf of hospitals and clinics across the province. In Canada you'll see them advertised as "anesthesiologist" jobs, but the role is the same as a UK Consultant Anaesthetist.

I don't name employers publicly, but I'm happy to share full details on a call. All posts are permanent, full time and open to UK anaesthetists with FRCA and a CCT.

Don't see quite the right fit? These aren't the only hospitals I work with in Ontario and new posts come up regularly. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll let you know what's available.

Ask about these jobs →

Where in Ontario should you look?

Ontario is a big province. It's roughly four times the size of the UK, so "Ontario" can mean very different things day to day. Most UK anaesthetists end up in one of four broad areas.

Toronto and the GTA

Canada's biggest city and its surrounding suburbs. You get world-class restaurants, sport and culture, daily direct flights to London and huge diversity. The trade-off is housing, which costs as much as London in the most popular areas. Many doctors choose to live in the commuter towns around the edge and get the best of both.

Ottawa

The capital is greener, calmer and more affordable than Toronto, with excellent schools and a bilingual feel thanks to its spot on the Quebec border. It's a popular choice for families. Snowy winters, but the city is built for them.

Southern Ontario

This covers the band of cities and towns from Niagara and Hamilton out to London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Barrie, plus Kingston and Cornwall to the east. It's where most of the regional hospital jobs are. Homes are far cheaper than Toronto, commutes are short and you're usually within easy reach of a lake. For many UK families this is the sweet spot.

Northern Ontario

Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie and North Bay serve vast areas with real need. Life here is outdoors, community-led and much cheaper. Hospitals are keen to recruit and the province adds financial incentives for doctors who commit to the north.

What about academic or specialist anaesthesia jobs?

I want to be realistic here because it's a question I get asked a lot.

Ontario's big university teaching hospitals have academic departments where many consultants spend 40 to 50% of their time on research or education. Those posts are incredibly competitive. In practice they tend to go to doctors who trained in Canada or already have a strong Canadian research track record.

The same goes for hyper-specialised tertiary work, such as cardiac, neuro or complex paediatric anaesthesia in the big city teaching hospitals. UK anaesthetists aren't ruled out, but you'd be competing with Canadian graduates who've come up through those same departments.

Where Ontario really needs you is general anaesthesia in regional and community hospitals. That's where the shortages are, where hospitals are actively recruiting from the UK and where you'll be welcomed with open arms. Fee-for-service rewards busy, varied lists, so it's often where the best earnings are too.

If academic work is your long-term goal, a regional post is a great first step. It gets you established in the system, building Canadian experience and contacts, and you can look at teaching links or Royal College certification later.

How much do Consultant Anaesthetists earn in Ontario?

Pay is usually the first question I get asked and also the one I see a lot of recruiters exaggerate. So here's the honest (if reserved) picture.

Expect to earn around CAD $400,000 to $500,000 a year as a full-time hospital anaesthetist working similar hours to the UK. At current exchange rates that's roughly £210,000 to £265,000. That's realistic rather than optimistic. Many anaesthetists earn more and it's straightforward to do so.

Fee-for-service

You're paid per case, according to a fee schedule set by the Ontario Ministry of Health and based on the procedure and the time it takes. So if you do more, you earn more. With theatre backlogs across the province there's plenty of extra work if you want it.

Stipends on top of your fees

Since April 2026, hospital anaesthetists get a daily stipend for scheduled weekday anaesthesia, paid on top of fee-for-service. It covers theatre, endoscopy, obstetrics and anaesthesia outside main theatres.

On-call shifts attract a separate stipend as well. In one regional department we recruit for, first call pays roughly $600 for a weekday and $1,200 for a weekend, on top of what you bill for the cases you do overnight.

Fees are rising

Under the current agreement with the government, fees rose by 2.8% in 2025/26 and a further 2.5% in 2026/27.

You're effectively self-employed

You still work to a rota with your department, but you have far more control over how much you work and when you take time off. That brings tax advantages too. A good accountant will show you how to make the most of your earnings, usually through a professional corporation. The flip side is that leave is unpaid and you fund your own pension, so planning matters.

Cost of living

Costs are similar to UK cities in Toronto and Ottawa and much lower in regional Ontario. Fuel and home energy are noticeably cheaper. Groceries cost a bit more.

If you want to see what Ontario's pay looks like next to Australia and the NHS, I've covered that in why anaesthetists are leaving the NHS for Australia or Canada.

Working hours and rota structure

Rotas vary between hospitals, but most UK anaesthetists are pleasantly surprised by how structured and fair they are. Here's how one of our regional client departments runs things, which is pretty typical.

Lists run from 8am to 3:30pm, with the occasional late room to 4:30pm. You arrive by 7:30am to be ready by 7:45am. Rooms are assigned a month at a time and published around two weeks ahead, and everyone rotates through all the specialties equally. Case mix and call are tracked and shared out evenly, so nobody gets stuck with the lighter or heavier work.

About once a month you'll do a float role, usually two days in a row. That covers the block room, central and arterial lines, ECT, cardioversions, caesarean sections and the acute pain service. It's a busy day, roughly 7:15am to 4pm.

On call is 1 to 2 first calls a month, which you usually spend in hospital. That's either a 24-hour shift or a 16-hour shift from 4pm, and you don't work the day after. You'll also do 1 to 2 second calls a month from home, with no post-call day. Both attract a stipend on top of your billings.

A typical full-time fortnight might look like this.

Compare that to the average NHS job plan and it's easy to see why so many UK anaesthetists who make the move don't look back.

Licensing for UK anaesthetists in Ontario

Doctors in Ontario are licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), the equivalent of the GMC. In 2025 the CPSO introduced a new route for specialists trained in approved jurisdictions, and UK anaesthesia training is on the list.

If you hold FRCA and a CCT in Anaesthetics, you can apply for a provisional certificate that lets you practise independently in anaesthesia from day one. There are no Canadian exams and no supervision requirement. After a qualifying period of practice in Ontario you move onto a full certificate.

If you're on the Specialist Register through CESR or the Portfolio Pathway, Ontario's approved route is harder because it looks at where you trained. It doesn't rule you out of Canada though. There are other routes in, and I've helped CESR anaesthetists get licensed in Ontario this year, so get in touch and I'll talk you through your options.

Visas and permanent residence

Canada has made it clear that it wants international doctors to stay for good, and the visa routes reflect that.

Your work permit

Most UK anaesthetists start on a work permit backed by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which the hospital applies for. It works fine for fee-for-service doctors and can cover up to three years. Your spouse can usually get an open work permit alongside you.

The fast track for doctors

Since late 2025, doctors who've been nominated by a province get their work permits processed in 14 days. Ontario has also opened a pathway for self-employed physicians who hold CPSO registration and an OHIP billing number, with no job offer needed. That's unique to Ontario and makes the nomination step much simpler for fee-for-service anaesthetists.

Permanent residence after one year

Canada now runs dedicated Express Entry draws for physicians with Canadian work experience. Once you've completed one year of work in Canada, you can enter the pool and apply for permanent residence. The score cut-offs for these draws have been very low, so in practice almost every eligible doctor has been invited. Compare that to the ten years now being talked about for settlement in the UK.

Relocation support

Moving a career and a family across the Atlantic is a big undertaking, and Ontario hospitals know it. Many of the posts we recruit for come with a relocation stipend, commonly in the region of $10,000 to $25,000, in exchange for a two to three year commitment. If you leave early you'd normally repay part of it on a sliding scale.

Rural and northern posts tend to offer the most. On top of what the hospital pays, the province runs a Northern and Rural Recruitment and Retention Initiative worth around $85,000 to $125,000 over four years for doctors who set up full-time practice in eligible communities. You'll need permanent residence to claim it, which is another reason the one-year PR route matters.

Alongside the money, we provide a dedicated relocation concierge. They help with registrations and work permits, then the practical side of the move, including house hunting, school searches, flights, bank accounts, utilities and shipping. It makes a real difference to those first few months.

Life in Ontario

Most of the doctors I speak to aren't moving for money alone. They want a better life for their families, and Ontario has a lot going for it.

Public schooling is free and well regarded. Ontario has publicly funded English, Catholic and French-language school boards, plus French immersion programmes. Many UK families find they don't need to consider private schools at all.

Healthcare is free at the point of use. OHIP, Ontario's public health insurance, covers doctors and their families, so you won't need private cover for the basics.

It's one of the most multicultural places in the world. Nearly half of Toronto's residents were born outside Canada and you'll find communities from every corner of the globe across the province, including plenty of Brits. It's a socially liberal, open and welcoming part of the country.

It's easy to get home. Toronto is around seven hours from London with several direct flights a day, and the time difference is five hours.

Then there's the space. Lakes, cottages, ski hills and national parks are rarely more than a couple of hours away, and four proper seasons mean summers on the water and winters on the slopes.

FAQs

Are these anaesthetics jobs in Ontario genuinely live?

Yes. We're recruiting for every post listed above on behalf of Ontario hospitals and clinics right now. I'll share employer details once we've spoken.

Can UK anaesthetists work in Ontario without Canadian exams?

Yes, if you hold FRCA and a CCT in Anaesthetics. You'll get a provisional certificate to practise independently in anaesthesia, with no exams and no supervision.

What if I'm on the Specialist Register through CESR or the Portfolio Pathway?

Ontario's approved route is designed around CCT holders, but there are other ways in. Get in touch and I'll tell you honestly which route fits your training.

How much does a Consultant Anaesthetist earn in Ontario?

Around CAD $400,000 to $500,000 full time on fee-for-service, which is roughly £210,000 to £265,000. The Ministry of Health also now pays anaesthetists daily stipends just for taking on scheduled lists, plus separate on-call stipends.

Can I get an academic or teaching hospital post?

It's possible, but those posts are very competitive and usually go to Canadian-trained doctors. The big need, and the best route in, is general anaesthesia in regional and community hospitals.

How long does it take to move?

Most moves take around six to nine months from first conversation to starting work, depending on how quickly your licence and work permit come through.

Do I get paid holiday and a pension?

No. As a fee-for-service doctor you're self-employed, so leave is unpaid and you fund your own pension. Most anaesthetists use a professional corporation and an accountant to plan for both.

Can my partner work in Canada too?

Usually, yes. Spouses of doctors on work permits can normally apply for an open work permit, and we can help UK-trained partners who are doctors find work locally too.

When can I get permanent residence?

After one year of work in Canada you become eligible for the physician-specific Express Entry draws. Ontario's self-employed physician nomination pathway can also support your application.

Sources

• CPSO Dialogue | New pathway for specialists from approved jurisdictions
• OHIP Bulletin 260802 | Anaesthesia stipend rates and eligibility
• OHIP Bulletin 260307 | 2026 physician payment increases
• Government of Canada | LMIA-based work permits
• Government of Canada | 14-day work permit processing for doctors
• Government of Canada | Targeted immigration measures for doctors
• Moving2Canada | Physicians with Canadian work experience category
• BDO Canada | OINP redesign and self-employed physician pathway
• Government of Ontario | Northern Health Programs and rural incentives

Interested in an anaesthetics job in Ontario?

Moving to Canada is a career move, but it's also a big life change. If one of these posts has caught your eye, or you just want to know more about licensing, earnings, visas or what life's really like in Ontario, drop me a message.

I've helped thousands of doctors make international moves, so I understand how big a commitment it is and every step along the way. I'll get back to you personally or we can arrange a call.

Drop me a message → Send your CV →

Daniel