The Ontario government has introduced a bill to establish the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and Université de Hearst as independent, standalone degree-granting institutions.
If passed, the legislation would formally recognize the role these institutions play in providing students with access to medical training and French-language studies in northern Ontario states a news release.
"NOSM and Hearst provide specialized and important educational opportunities in northeastern Ontario. They are ready to take the next step in their development and maturity as institutions," said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. "This new independence will ensure that each institution has the autonomy to grow in ways that more effectively support the access to quality education for students and communities in the region."
Hearst will become Ontario's second stand-alone French language university, joining the Université de l'Ontario français.
As affiliated postsecondary institutions, NOSM and Hearst already operate largely independently. Both institutions are unique compared to other affiliates across Ontario as they already receive direct funding from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
The proposed legislation would provide the institutions with independent governance and administration and will empower them to expand and explore offering more programs in new communities across northern Ontario. It would also provide a pathway for the institutions to grant their own degrees, and the government intends to engage the expert guidance of the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board.
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine opened in 2005 and is currently a not-for-profit corporation of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury.
In 2020-21, NOSM had nearly 460 full-time students enrolled at its two campuses in northern Ontario to educate future doctors that help improve the health of over 90 communities in northern Ontario.
NOSM students complete more than 40 per cent of their training in Indigenous, small rural and larger urban northern Ontario communities to help increase the likelihood that Indigenous and Francophone doctors continue working in their communities after graduation.
