Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says a hospital network has estimated that 35 people may have died during the COVID-19 pandemic because their cardiac surgeries weren't performed.
Elliott says the report was released by Toronto's University Health Network, though the organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thousands of surgeries were postponed or cancelled in order to ensure enough acute and critical capacity in Ontario hospitals for a possible surge of COVID-19 patients.
Elliott says any death that has happened due to COVID-19, whether directly or indirectly, is a tragedy.
She adds Ontario's actions during the pandemic have saved thousands of lives.
The province's Financial Accountability Office released a report Tuesday saying about 52,000 procedures have already been cancelled or avoided, and while that has eased pressure on hospitals, the longer they're postponed the worse the health outcomes will be.