Starting on April 1st, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine will be an independent university with degree-granting authority.
The province says with its own independent governance and administration, the post-secondary school can expand and explore offering more programs in communities across the north, which supports greater access to postsecondary education in the region.
“The Ontario government is committed to supporting high-quality post-secondary education in northern Ontario,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “We recognize that our northern institutions are essential to ensuring we have a skilled workforce in the North.”
Also effective April 1st, the University of Hearst is being designated an independent university with degree-granting authority in French-language education.
Dunlop says establishing independent, publicly assisted universities enables them to grow in ways that best serve their students and local communities.
NOSM, which was affiliated with Laurentian University and Lakehead University, has contributed to the establishment of more than 700 medical professionals in the North since it was created in 2005.
Hearst was an affiliate of Laurentian University.