‘One step closer:’ Vaughan mayor welcomes York University's plan for medical school in city

City working with university, Mackenzie Health and VentureLAB to create an innovative health-care hub on Vaughan hospital lands

Yorkregion.com
May 21, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb

York University said Thursday, May 20 that it's planning to establish a new school of medicine in Vaughan after Greater Toronto Area health and government leaders signaled “positive momentum and growing support” for the new institute.

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua welcomed this major move especially since his initial thoughts and seeds began in 2010 when he formulated his vision for a hospital precinct in his ever-growing city of Vaughan.

"Today's news brings us one step closer to realizing a significant project that will improve access to education and professional networks for aspiring entrepreneurs and accomplished business experts across the Greater Toronto Area,” Bevilacqua said in a statement.

He added, “It will further expand our human capital and growing talent pool of hard-working, driven and innovative professionals.”

With more than one million Ontarians not having any access to primary care, the idea of the new school is that it will focus on training family and community doctors in an integrated setting.

“Medical and health curriculum and research will support this integrated and preventive model for health care, which aims to promote care beyond the walls of hospital facilities,” the university said in its release.

It added, “The model is expected to create greater health equity for diverse communities in the GTA and underserved communities across Canada.”

In October 2019, Vaughan signed a memorandum of understanding with York University, Mackenzie Health and VentureLAB to create the Vaughan Health-Care Centre Precinct to innovate health-care products and export them far beyond Canada globally by making use of local resources and talent.

At the time of the signing, the mayor, who long touted his motto of the “art of the possible,” wasn’t shy from proposing a medical school in the heart of Vaughan, too.

In February 2020, Bevilacqua, once again at the annual Vaughan Chamber of Commerce Mayor's Luncheon in the presence of York University's President Rhonda Lenton, York University officials and more than 900 business and government leaders, reiterated his ambitions for the university to establish a medical school in Vaughan.

“I made a public commitment to encourage and strongly support York University's efforts to establish a medical school in Vaughan,” Bevilacqua said in his Thursday statement.

Indeed, his calls yielded a breakthrough. 

“The announcement was well received,” the mayor added. “My message to all levels of government and the community was crystal clear - a York University School of Medicine in Vaughan would serve the GTA and the province exceptionally well.”

The news of building a medical school in Vaughan is entrenching York University's expansion in York Region, too.

After years of lobbying, Premier Doug Ford announced in July last year, the approval of a new York University Markham Centre Campus.

York University was able to bring about working capital of up to $275.5 million to make the campus a reality.

Presidents of various hospitals from Southlake Regional Health Centre, Markham Stouffville Hospital, North York General Hospital to Mackenzie Health have all welcomed the move.

Even Toronto mayor John Tory has joined the chorus to back the move to “bring forward new ideas and breakthroughs.”