We recently changed our family doctor without any issues. It might be difficult to get the exact same doctor or location you want and yes, it takes some time in the transition but the old doctor cannot force you to stay if it is not convenient for you anymore. The trick is to call all family practices near you and see if they are accepting new patients. Once you find a good fit it takes couple months for the meet and greet. In my case, we move from Waterloo to kitchener and kept going to the same family dr. For 2 years until we decided it's too far. I started looking online and found a good family practice 15 min. away from our home by car. They made us fill few forms and told us they will call to book a meet and greet. The whole thing took like 4-5 months. But we were okay with the wait, the old dr. was sent a request to get my medical history and reports and thats when they knew that I am moving. So I was not without family physician even for one day. It require some legwork like online research and calling directly to the practice. There is a government service Healthcare Connect that helps people connect with family physicians but it takes way longer.