By Times Chronicle Staff

Aiming to fill the serious void in primary healthcare in BC, the Simon Fraser University (SFU) school of medicine has begun accepting applications for its first class of future doctors.

The launch of the first new medical school in Western Canada in nearly 60 years is designed specifically to address BC’s urgent need for primary-care physicians, something many suggest is easily more than a decade late despite years of warning by the medical community.  

Work on the $520 million permanent school, shared between the Province and SFU, is said to be on track to begin in late 2026 with students beginning classes in the facility in fall 2030.

The new school will begin instruction at the SFU Surrey campus in August 2026, with students accepted into the first 48-student class expected to graduate as doctors three years later, followed by up to three years of residency. The cohort is expected to increase every year until it reaches 120 students by 2035.

Students will receive ongoing clinical training, starting in the second month of their studies and continuing throughout their three-year program. They will also work directly with patients in community-based offices, clinics and hospitals throughout BC. This includes providing care at an outpatient clinic at the permanent school, which will serve patients in the Surrey community.

The permanent home will be next to the SFU Surrey campus and the Surrey Central SkyTrain station and will occupy eight floors of the planned 12-storey building and include:

  • classrooms, clinical-skills spaces, research labs, administrative offices and support areas;
  • an outpatient clinic that will deliver direct health-care services for Surrey residents and provide a practical and accessible experience for students; and
  • a child care centre with 49 spaces to support the SFU Surrey community.

“We’re building the future of health care in BC, and establishing this new medical school is at the heart of that work,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “Through this unique partnership, we’re training future family doctors and strengthening care for people in Surrey and across the province.”

The new medical school is being developed through collaboration between the Province, Simon Fraser University, City of Surrey, First Nations Health Authority, Fraser Health Authority and the medical community.

Students can apply to the SFU medical school at sfu.ca/medicine.html