York medical school gets federal money for Vaughan building

York University, a multi-campus Toronto university, said the federal government’s Budget 2026, announced on November 5, will support a medical school building in Vaughan. CTV News Toronto reported that Ontario will commit $55.8 million and York is raising $350 million to build the school; the federal amount is not stated.

Dean David Peters said the school will be purpose-built to train family medicine and generalist physicians. The Ontario Medical Association, which represents the province’s physicians, said more than 2.5 million Ontarians have no access to a family physician. York describes the school as the first Canadian medical school to focus on community-based primary health-care education. Its model includes an accelerated three-year MD program and earlier community-based residency, the training doctors do after their degree.

At full capacity York will graduate 80 physicians a year and have 240 undergraduate learners. For comparison, Toronto Metropolitan University opened a medical school in Brampton in September 2025, with 94 undergraduate positions at full capacity. York’s 240 undergraduate learners are more than twice that number.

York plans its first class at its Keele Campus in north Toronto in 2028, pending accreditation. Dean Peters said York expects preliminary accreditation status in spring 2027.

Sources: York University · CTV News Toronto · Ontario Medical Association