FedNor funding will help increase enrollment and graduate and retain more doctors in Northern Ontario
April 1, 2026 - Thunder Bay, ON - Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario - FedNor
In a rapidly changing world, we are focusing on what we can control: building a stronger, fairer and more resilient Canada. Ensuring workers are empowered is essential to building a strong economy and supporting the workforce of today and tomorrow.
The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for FedNor, and Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Superior North, today announced a FedNor investment of $1,968,386 so the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM University) can establish and expand training facilities in 87 municipalities and Indigenous communities across Northern Ontario.
Provided through Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP), this investment will allow NOSM University teaching sites, across the North, to retrofit learner spaces and purchase specialised equipment to support in-community training. This includes modernizing the facilities with enhancements such as video conferencing and information and communications technology capabilities.
Once fully established, the new training space will be well equipped to deliver the highest standard of education expected from modern medical schools. As a result of this expansion, NOSM University's Doctor of Medicine (MD) program is expected to increase from 425 to 852 learners within the next four years.
Of the 87 training facilities, five will be located at larger hospitals in Sudbury, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and Timmins. An additional 13 locations will be classified as Comprehensive Community Clerkship sites, with the remaining 69 residing in community-based clinical locations, 43 of which will be within Indigenous communities, with the balance serving rural and Francophone populations.
The following locations across the North will benefit from this investment:
