Ontario funds new family medical school as it preps for 2028 opening

Ontario is funding a new medical school focused on training family doctors so it can start preparing for its first students in 2028.

Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn says the province is providing $55.8 million for York University’s new school of medicine.

He says the money will help the school hire faculty, build a medical library and operate its undergraduate and graduate programs.

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The program will have 80 undergraduate spots and 102 postgraduate spots when it opens in the fall of 2028 and the province says it will eventually grow to 240 undergraduate spots and 293 postgraduate seats.

York’s new medical school is set to be the first one in the country primarily focused on training family doctors.

The Ontario Medical Association says there are more than 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor, while the province is boosting health teams that include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and other professions as part of its approach to meet the demand.