York University School of Medicine will train family doctors

To protect Ontario's health-care workforce, the Ontario government is investing $55.8 million to support the planning and operations of York University's new school of medicine.
As the first medical school in Ontario that is focused on training family doctors, the York School of Medicine is expected to open in 2028 and will bolster Ontario's pipeline of highly skilled primary care providers, helping fulfill Ontario's commitment to ensure that everyone who wants to have a primary care provider can access one.
“Ontario-trained family doctors are the backbone of our health-care system, providing compassionate care for our loved ones from everyday checkups to life's greatest challenges,” said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. “This investment will ensure that Ontario has a strong pipeline of family care providers to deliver excellent care for decades to come.”
This investment will fund initial planning for the York School of Medicine such as accreditation, curriculum development, faculty recruitment, establishing a medical library, training costs and operating costs for its undergraduate and postgraduate programs. When the school opens, it will have 80 undergraduate seats and 102 postgraduate seats, growing to 240 undergraduate seats and 293 postgraduate seats at full capacity.
“Our government is strengthening Ontario's world-class physician workforce through the largest medical education expansion in over a decade,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Today's $55.8 million investment in planning and operations at the new York School of Medicine brings us a step closer to adding hundreds of new family medicine seats, which will support the primary care needs of our province for generations to come.”
“Our government is once again stepping up with new funding to operationalize York's School of Medicine as we build Canada's first medical school dedicated exclusively to training the next generation of primary care physicians. Working with local partners, Ontario is leading the way to build a campus-of-care around the hospital that will deliver better healthcare closer to home. This is a banner week for the King—Vaughan community, as we unveiled a vision to build a new long-term care home and seniors village right beside the York University School of Medicine and Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. Our government will continue to invest so that every single resident is connected to a family doctor,” said Stephen Lecce, MPP for King-Vaughan.
The Ontario government is leading the largest expansion of medical education in the province in over a decade. The expansion includes additional seats at all six medical schools across Ontario, as well as the establishment of two new medical schools, the Toronto Metropolitan University Medical School, which welcomed its inaugural cohort last fall, and York, which is slated to open in 2028. This investment is on top of the initial $9 million invested by the Ontario government to begin the design and planning for York's Medical School in 2024.
“We are deeply grateful for this $55.8 million investment from the Government of Ontario, which serves as a powerful vote of confidence in our vision for the York University School of Medicine,” said Lisa Philipps, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of York University. “This will be a school where physicians are trained for the health system Ontarians need. Together with our hospital and other health care partners, we are building a community-based model of medical education that will expand access to care across northern Toronto, York Region, Simcoe County, Muskoka and beyond as we move toward accreditation and prepare to welcome our inaugural class in 2028.”
Ontario is adding 340 undergraduate seats and 551 postgraduate medical residency positions at medical schools by 2028-29, representing a 67 per cent increase in family medicine graduates.
Last fall, the Ontario government opened the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine in Brampton, which was supported by $180 million from the Ontario government.
With the addition of the York University School of Medicine in September 2028, Ontario will have eight medical schools and is expected to have a total of 1,292 undergraduate and 1,739 postgraduate seats once the medical expansion initiatives reach maturity in 2033.
Starting in fall 2026, all medical schools in Ontario are required to allocate at least 95 per cent of all undergraduate medical spaces to Ontario residents, with the other five per cent reserved for students from the rest of Canada.
The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant – Medical Education is launching in Fall 2026 to provide funding to medical students who commit to practicing family medicine anywhere in the province for five years after graduation.
As part of the government's historic $6.4 billion long-term funding model, Ontario is investing $1.7 billion to fund 70,000 seats in key, labour-market driven sectors, including health care.
“This investment in the York University School of Medicine is an important step forward and reflects what is possible when government, academic institutions and health care providers come together around a shared commitment to improving care. Training tomorrow's health care professionals is essential to building a stronger health system. As a proud affiliate partner of the York University School of Medicine, we are excited to help create innovative learning opportunities that prepare future physicians for team-based, community-focused care. Together with York University and our fellow affiliate hospitals, we are building the workforce needed to meet the evolving needs of patients and communities, helping more people access high-quality care close to home,” added Carmine Stumpo, President and CEO, Mackenzie Health.
“In building a medical school dedicated to training family and generalist physicians, we aim to transform how doctors are educated, equipping them to adapt to the changing needs of our communities and our health system. Through our unique-in-Canada curriculum, including an accelerated three-year MD program, residency training, and partnerships with local health care providers, we're championing person-centred care that leverages deep community learning experiences to strengthen community health from home to hospital,” noted Dr. David Peters, Dean, Faculty of Health and Dean of Record, York University School of Medicine.