Ontario Expanding Learn and Stay Grant to Train More Family Doctors in Ontario

To help close the remaining 10 per cent gap of people who do not have access to a regular health-care provider, the government is breaking down barriers for Ontario students to become family doctors by expanding the Learn and Stay grant to include family medicine. We are also requiring medical schools to prioritize seats for Ontario residents, helping ensure more doctors who study in Ontario treat Ontario patients rather than leaving the province after their studies. 

Starting in 2026, the government is investing an estimated $88 million over three yeas to expand Learn and Stay grants to include 1,360 eligible undergraduate students that commit to practice family medicine with a full roster of patients once they graduate. It is estimated the total investment will connect an additional 1.36 million people to primary care based on average attachment rates for family doctors. The funding will cover all tuition and other direct educational costs like books, supplies and equipment in exchange for a term of service as a physician in any community across Ontario.

Starting in fall 2026, new legislative and regulatory changes will, if passed, also require all Ontario medical schools to allocate at least 95 per cent of all undergraduate medical school seats to residents of Ontario, with the other five per cent reserved for students from the rest of Canada. We’re also creating more opportunities for Ontarians who started their medical education abroad to be able to complete their postgraduate training in Ontario. These actions are designed to ensure Ontario medical schools are training and graduating doctors, including family doctors, who are significantly more likely to practice in Ontario.

News Releases:

En: More Family Doctors in Ontario

Fr: Plus de médecins de famille en Ontario