‘A truly collaborative effort’: Seeley’s Bay welcomes new physician as longtime doctor retires
Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark, left, with Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Warden of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Dr. Debbie Briggs, Dr. Tauqeer Tariq, and Ann Weir, Manager of the Leeds Grenville Economic Development Office at a celebration of appreciation for Dr. Briggs in Seeley’s Bay on Saturday, June 13. Dr. Briggs is retiring after 28 years at the Seeley’s Bay Medical Centre and Saturday’s event also served as a welcome to the community for Dr. Tariq. – Submitted photo
A new doctor is coming to Seeley’s Bay following the retirement of a longtime physician.
Dr. Tauqeer Tariq will be joining the Seeley’s Bay Medical Centre, taking over the practice of Dr. Debbie Briggs, who is retiring after 28 years of caring for patients in the community and surrounding area.
Dr. Tariq was recruited from the United Kingdom through the Ontario government’s Rural Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot program, explains a media release from for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark’s office. The local recruitment effort involved Dr. Briggs, the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands and the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Economic Development Office.
The release explains that the REDI program supported Dr. Tariq’s pathway to permanent residence through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) and assisted with the licensing process needed to practice medicine in Ontario.
“I’m so pleased to welcome Dr. Tariq to our community and ensure residents continue to have access to a local family physician,” stated Clark. “His recruitment demonstrates how the REDI pilot is addressing workforce shortages in healthcare workers and other critical sectors of Leeds and Grenville’s economy.”
Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Warden of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and Mayor of Leeds and the Thousand Islands Township, thanked Briggs for ensuring continuity of care for her patients, noting the “unwavering dedication she has given in providing healthcare to patients in the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands and surrounding areas.
“This commitment has truly been amplified by her taking initiative to find her own replacement thereby ensuring continuing care for her patients upon retirement,” Smith-Gatcke continued. “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Dr. Tauqeer Tariq.”
She called the recruitment a “truly collaborative effort with the clinic, the Township, the Counties, and the provincial OINP REDI program to ensure healthcare in the Leeds Grenville region is a top priority.”
Dr. Tariq thanked those involved in helping him transition, including “Ann Weir from the Counties who helped me throughout the process.
“I sincerely appreciate the support Dr. Briggs has provided along with the Medical Centre team and the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands in making the me feel so welcome.”
Leeds and Grenville is one of four communities selected for the REDI pilot program. According to Clark, as of April 1, 2026, 78 applications had been fully processed, 60 were pending, and another 24 invitations to apply through OINP had been sent.
Clark said the majority of applications were connected to available healthcare positions.