Ontario will soon join other provinces in providing coverage for sex-change surgery under the province's health insurance plan, Health Minister George Smitherman confirmed yesterday.

Smitherman said the details have not been finalized, but Ontario will start paying for sexual reassignment surgery for the first time in 10 years, providing coverage for the limited number of people who qualify for the procedure.

"It's the government's intention to move forward with the provision of services on about the same level as they were (when) cancelled some number of years ago," he said.

"(It would) probably affect between eight and 10 people in Ontario, who after having very, very sustained psychological evaluations would be deemed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health as appropriate candidates to receive a surgical intervention."

Ontario's previous Conservative government cancelled coverage of sex-change operations in 1998, leaving some people stranded midway through the process.