The waiting room exists only as pixels on a screen. No worn magazines. No fluorescent hum. Just a patient in Bathurst, late on a Tuesday, hoping someone will answer before the fever gets worse.
New Brunswick has signed a contract with Foundever to deliver virtual healthcare services across the province. The company will take over from eVisitNB, whose four-year contract received a 90-day extension in late March. When that extension expires, Foundever steps in to manage the digital front door of a healthcare system stretched thin by rural geography and provider shortages.
Virtual care became a lifeline during the pandemic, but it has quietly reshaped how New Brunswickers access medicine ever since. Patients in communities hours from the nearest emergency department can now consult a physician without driving through snowstorms or missing work. Parents with sick children no longer face the calculus of whether a cough warrants a two-hour trip. The technology promises convenience, but it also reveals deeper fractures in a system that has long struggled to serve everyone equally.
Foundever, a global business services company, will operate the platform that connects patients to healthcare providers remotely. The transition comes as provinces across Canada grapple with how to integrate virtual care into public health infrastructure. Some see it as a necessary evolution. Others worry it creates a two-tiered system where those with reliable internet and digital literacy get faster access, while others fall further behind.
Dr. Emily Cherniak, a family physician in Fredericton, has used virtual care platforms for three years. She told me last fall that the technology works well for follow-ups, prescription renewals, and minor concerns. But she also described the limitations. A rash requires visual assessment. Abdominal pain needs hands-on examination. Virtual care can triage, but it cannot replace the physical presence of a clinician.
The province has not disclosed the financial terms of the Foundever contract, though eVisitNB’s original agreement was valued at approximately eight million dollars over four years. That investment reflects both the promise and the pressure of virtual healthcare. New Brunswick has one of the oldest populations in Canada and a geography that scatters small communities across vast distances. Traditional models of care delivery struggle to reach everyone. Virtual platforms offer a partial solution, but only if the infrastructure and training support them.
Foundever operates in over 45 countries and provides customer service solutions for industries ranging from telecommunications to healthcare. The company’s entry into New Brunswick’s public health system raises questions about the role of private firms in delivering care. Advocates for public healthcare argue that profit motives can conflict with patient needs, particularly when companies prioritize efficiency over equity. Supporters counter that private expertise can improve service delivery without compromising care quality, especially when governments lack the resources to build systems from scratch.
The transition also highlights the uneven digital landscape in New Brunswick. Rural areas often lack high-speed internet, making virtual appointments difficult or impossible. A patient in a village along the Acadian coast might have access to a virtual care platform in theory, but not in practice. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission reported in 2022 that nearly 40 percent of rural New Brunswick households lack access to internet speeds sufficient for reliable video consultations. Virtual care, in those cases, becomes another service available only to some.
Language adds another layer of complexity. New Brunswick is Canada’s only officially bilingual province, and healthcare services must be available in both English and French. eVisitNB provided bilingual support, and the province will expect Foundever to maintain that standard. For Acadian communities in the north and east, language is not a preference but a matter of patient safety. Miscommunication in a medical context can lead to misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment, or delayed care.
Virtual healthcare also reshapes the doctor-patient relationship in ways that are still being understood. The screen creates distance, both literal and emotional. Some patients find it easier to discuss sensitive topics when they are not sitting across from a physician in a small-town clinic where everyone knows everyone. Others feel disconnected, missing the reassurance of eye contact and physical presence. Dr. Cherniak described it as a trade-off. Convenience comes at the cost of continuity, especially when patients see different providers each time they log in.
The extension of eVisitNB’s contract by 90 days suggests the transition will not be seamless. Healthcare systems are complex, and switching vendors involves more than swapping logos. Patient data must be transferred securely. Providers need training on new platforms. Billing and administrative processes require reconfiguration. A smooth handoff matters, because any disruption means patients lose access to care.
Foundever has not yet detailed how its service will differ from eVisitNB’s model. Will it expand hours? Offer more specialized consultations? Integrate better with hospital systems? These questions matter to patients who depend on virtual care as their primary access point. The province’s Department of Health has stated that the transition aims to improve service quality and efficiency, but specifics remain scarce.
Virtual healthcare is not a silver bullet for New Brunswick’s challenges, but it is a tool that can expand access if implemented thoughtfully. The shift to Foundever represents a test of whether private partnerships can serve public needs without widening existing inequalities. The answer will depend on how the province monitors outcomes, ensures equitable access, and holds the provider accountable.
The patient in Bathurst logs in again. This time, a doctor appears on the screen. The fever is assessed, a prescription sent to the nearest pharmacy. The system works, at least for now. But the real measure of success will be whether it works for everyone, not just those with fast internet and a smartphone. Virtual care is here to stay, and New Brunswick is betting on a new partner to make it work.
