As if a monthly subscription to Spotify or Netflix to watch the new season of Love is Blind wasn't enough, clinics in Ontario are now charging fees to see a nurse practitioner for health services.

The Ontario Ministry of Health said it would review a clinic in Ottawa that plans to charge $400 to see a nurse practitioner. The clinic plans to operate out of the South Keys Health Centre in Ottawa.

"It's outrageous," Dr. Doris Grinspun, chief executive officer for the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), told blogTO.

"They are using nurse practitioners. That is their excuse, that they can't cover the cost of nurse practitioners."

The RNAO represents 50,400 registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in the province. Members are paid a salary and can work at physicians' offices or work long-term care homes.

The Ontario Health Coalition posted a tweet, up in arms about the new fees.

It is a clear violation of the Canada Health Act to charge fees for access to those services.

It is also, in our view & that of our legal team, illegal under Ontario law. If there is any ambiguity re. the latter, @fordnation could pass a regulation to clear it up immediately.

— OntarioHealthCoal'n (@OntarioHealthC) October 6, 2023

A nurse practitioner can conduct annual physicals, prescribe medications, and order some diagnostic imaging and lab tests.

The membership fee will be on top of bills sent to clients to access services from nurse practitioners.

In Ontario, it is against the law for clinics to charge fees to access a doctor for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) services, however, the province does not cover services provided by a nurse practitioner.

Grinspun wants the province to pay the salaries of more nurse practitioners.

"We have raised it with the minister," said Grinspun. "She is well aware."

The province has opened an investigation into the clinic.