Canada's New Medical Schools in 2026: Where Will Medical Students and Residents Live?
October 27, 2026 | Medical Education, Healthcare Housing & Communities
Canada is expanding medical education across the country, with new medical schools and training campuses in Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, Brampton and Surrey, and another planned for Vaughan. But as more physicians begin their training, an important question remains: Where will they live?
For medical students, residents, visiting clinical clerks and healthcare professionals, finding safe, affordable and flexible housing near hospitals and teaching facilities can be a significant challenge.
This is particularly true in rural communities, smaller cities and expensive urban centres where rental availability is limited.
At MedsHousing.com, we believe housing is an essential, often overlooked component of Canada's healthcare workforce strategy.
As universities and governments invest in training more physicians, communities must also prepare to accommodate the people who will deliver tomorrow's healthcare.
Which New Medical Schools Have Opened in Canada?
Canada's recent medical education expansion includes new medical schools, regional campuses and proposed programs designed to strengthen physician recruitment and improve access to care.
| Medical school or campus | Location | Opening or planned opening |
|---|---|---|
| Dalhousie University - Cape Breton Medical Campus | Sydney, Nova Scotia | 2025 |
| Memorial University - UPEI Regional Medical Campus | Charlottetown, PEI | 2025 |
| Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine | Brampton, Ontario | 2025 |
| Simon Fraser University Stephens Family School of Medicine | Surrey, British Columbia | 2026 |
| York University School of Medicine | Vaughan, Ontario | Planned 2028 |
These developments represent an important shift toward training physicians closer to the communities where they are needed.
However, not every program is a new, independently accredited medical school. Some are regional campuses of established universities, while others remain in development.
1. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: Training More Doctors for Rural Communities
The Cape Breton Medical Campus, developed through a partnership between Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine and Cape Breton University, welcomed its first class of 30 medical students in August 2025.
Located in Sydney, the campus is intended to strengthen physician recruitment and retention in Cape Breton and rural Nova Scotia.
The program combines academic medical education with clinical training in regional and rural healthcare settings.
For communities that have historically struggled to attract and retain physicians, training students closer to home may help develop a stronger local healthcare workforce.
Where will Cape Breton medical students live?
Students attending the Sydney campus need accommodation near the university, Cape Breton Regional Hospital and surrounding healthcare facilities.
As clinical placements extend into smaller communities, additional furnished and unfurnished accommodation may be required for students completing temporary rotations.
Opportunity for landlords: Homeowners and property owners in Sydney, Glace Bay, North Sydney and surrounding communities may be able to support medical learners with private rooms, secondary suites or furnished rentals.
2. Prince Edward Island: A New Era for Medical Education
In August 2025, the University of Prince Edward Island welcomed its first cohort of 20 medical students through a regional campus partnership with Memorial University's Faculty of Medicine.
This development represents an important milestone for a province that has long faced challenges recruiting and retaining physicians.
The regional campus allows students to begin medical training in PEI while benefiting from Memorial University's established medical education program.
UPEI is also pursuing plans for its own independently accredited medical degree program.
Why does medical student housing matter in PEI?
Charlottetown's rental market must accommodate university students, seasonal workers, permanent residents and an expanding healthcare workforce.
Medical students may require year-round accommodation, while visiting learners and healthcare professionals may need furnished and unfurnished housing for shorter periods.
Housing demand can also extend beyond Charlottetown when learners undertake clinical experiences in smaller Island communities.
Opportunity for landlords: Homeowners with spare bedrooms, furnished and unfurnished apartments or secondary suites can help expand accommodation options for medical learners and healthcare workers.
3. Brampton, Ontario: Toronto Metropolitan University's New School of Medicine
Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Medicine officially opened in Brampton in 2025, becoming the first new medical school in the Greater Toronto Area in more than a century.
Its inaugural postgraduate medical residents began training in July 2025, followed by its first undergraduate medical students in September.
TMU's medical education model emphasizes primary care, community-based medicine, health equity and training physicians to serve diverse populations.
The school works with William Osler Health System and other clinical partners to provide healthcare training throughout the region.
Housing near TMU School of Medicine
Medical students and residents may seek accommodation near Brampton's medical school campus, Brampton Civic Hospital, Etobicoke General Hospital and other clinical training locations.
Brampton's growing population and competitive rental market can make affordable, conveniently located accommodation particularly valuable.
Opportunity for landlords: Furnished and unfurnished apartments, private rooms and shared housing near hospitals, public transit and clinical facilities may appeal to medical students and residents.
4. Surrey, British Columbia: Canada's Newest Medical School Opens in 2026
The Simon Fraser University Stephens Family School of Medicine welcomed its inaugural class of 48 medical students in August 2026.
Located at SFU's Surrey campus, it is British Columbia's first new medical school in nearly 60 years.
The school offers a three-year, year-round medical education program designed with an emphasis on primary care and community-based healthcare.
Its development reflects the growing need for physicians in Surrey, the Fraser Health region and other British Columbia communities.
Where will SFU medical students live?
Students may require housing near SFU Surrey, Surrey Memorial Hospital, transit connections and future clinical placement locations.
As the program develops, housing needs may extend to other communities where students undertake clinical training.
Opportunity for landlords: Property owners in Surrey and surrounding communities can help provide furnishedand unfurnished, flexible accommodation for medical learners and healthcare professionals.
5. Vaughan, Ontario: York University's Planned Medical School
York University is developing a new School of Medicine, with an anticipated opening in 2028, subject to accreditation and other required approvals.
The proposed medical school will focus on primary care, family medicine and community-based physician training.
Its planned location near Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital positions it to serve York Region and surrounding communities.
The school's intended reach includes northern Toronto, Simcoe County, Muskoka and other areas where access to healthcare professionals remains an important concern.
Why is housing important for future York medical students?
Medical learners may eventually complete training across multiple hospitals, family medicine clinics and community healthcare facilities.
Some of these placements could be in communities where rental accommodation is expensive, seasonal or difficult to secure.
Muskoka is one example of a region where housing affordability and availability can create challenges for newly recruited healthcare workers.
Opportunity for landlords: Homeowners and property owners across York Region, Simcoe County and Muskoka can begin considering how their accommodation might support future medical learners and healthcare professionals. MAHC is partnered with our "Housing for Healthcare" program.
6. Windsor and International Medical Education Pathways
Canada's medical education landscape is also changing through international partnerships.
In September 2026, the University of Windsor announced an accelerated educational pathway with the American Canadian School of Medicine in Dominica.
This arrangement provides an additional route for eligible students interested in pursuing medical education internationally.
It is not a new Canadian medical school, but it reflects the increasing mobility of medical learners.
Students studying outside Canada may later pursue eligible clinical electives, residency opportunities or other training experiences in different locations, subject to institutional and licensing requirements.
For MedsHousing, international medical education reinforces the importance of flexible accommodation for healthcare learners moving between cities, provinces and countries.
Why Housing Must Be Part of Canada's Medical Education Expansion
Opening a medical school requires more than classrooms, laboratories and clinical teaching facilities.
Students and residents need somewhere to live.
Unlike traditional university students, medical learners frequently move between academic campuses, teaching hospitals, rural clinics, family medicine practices and community healthcare facilities.
Their accommodation needs can change throughout their education.
A medical student might require a furnished and unfurnished apartment for an academic year, a room for a four-week elective or temporary housing during a rural clinical rotation.
A resident relocating for postgraduate training may need accommodation near a hospital with early morning shifts, overnight call responsibilities and irregular working hours.
What type of housing do medical students and residents need?
The most useful accommodation often includes:
Flexible rental terms: Housing for four-week electives, eight-week placements, several months or full academic years.
Furnished and unfurnished accommodation: Move-in-ready rooms and apartments for learners arriving from another city or province.
Affordable rental options: Private bedrooms, shared homes and secondary suites can provide alternatives to expensive apartments.
Proximity to hospitals: Shorter commutes are particularly valuable during demanding clinical schedules.
Quiet, comfortable spaces: Reliable internet, study areas and a suitable environment for rest.
Transportation access: Parking or convenient public transit, depending on the location of clinical placements.
In rural communities, accommodation can be particularly difficult to find because the rental supply may be small and seasonal.
A student who cannot find suitable housing may face additional financial pressure, longer commutes or difficulty arranging a clinical placement.
Canada's Healthcare Housing Challenge Goes Beyond Medical Students
The need for healthcare housing extends well beyond physicians in training.
Nursing students, physician assistant students, dental students, midwifery students, allied health learners, veterinary students and other healthcare trainees may also relocate for clinical education.
Newly hired healthcare professionals can face similar challenges.
Consider a nurse accepting a position in Muskoka, a respiratory therapist relocating to a smaller hospital, or a physiotherapist completing a placement in a rural community.
Finding suitable accommodation can influence how easily these professionals begin their work.
A community may have a healthcare position available but still struggle to recruit someone if that person cannot find somewhere affordable to live.
Housing is therefore not simply a student concern. It is also a healthcare recruitment and retention issue.
How Canadian Homeowners and Landlords Can Help
Not every healthcare learner needs an entire apartment or house.
Some simply need a safe, comfortable room near their hospital or clinical placement.
This creates opportunities for property owners who may never have considered renting to healthcare learners.
A retired homeowner with an unused bedroom, a family with a basement suite, a snowbird with a temporarily vacant property or a landlord with a furnished apartment may all have accommodation suitable for this audience.
Short-term and longer-term housing options can help meet different needs.
For rural communities especially, making existing housing available to visiting healthcare learners may be one practical way to support local healthcare services.
Landlords should always complete their own due diligence, tenant screening and verification, prepare appropriate rental documentation and comply with applicable tenancy laws before entering into a rental agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Student Housing in Canada
Where can medical students find housing near Canadian hospitals?
Medical students and residents can search MedsHousing.com, a Canadian housing platform dedicated to healthcare learners and professionals seeking accommodation near medical schools, hospitals and clinical training locations.
Can landlords rent a room to a medical student?
Yes. Depending on local tenancy laws and property requirements, homeowners may be able to rent a private bedroom, shared accommodation, secondary suite or furnished apartment to a medical student or healthcare professional.
Do medical students need short-term furnished rentals?
Many do. Clinical electives and rotations can require temporary accommodation for periods ranging from several weeks to several months. Furnished rentals can reduce the difficulty and expense of relocating for a short placement.
Which Canadian cities have recently opened new medical schools?
Recent openings include medical education programs or campuses in Sydney, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Brampton, Ontario; and Surrey, British Columbia. York University is also developing a medical school planned for Vaughan, Ontario.
How can landlords advertise housing to medical students and residents?
Landlords can visit MedsHousing.com to learn about advertising furnished and unfurnished apartments, private rooms, shared housing and other suitable rental accommodation to healthcare learners and professionals.
Why is housing important for rural medical education?
Rural clinical placements often require students and residents to temporarily relocate to smaller communities with limited rental availability. Suitable housing can make these placements more accessible and help communities welcome future healthcare professionals.
MedsHousing.com: Connecting Healthcare Education and Housing
As Canada's medical education system expands, housing deserves a place in the conversation.
Universities, hospitals, healthcare authorities, municipalities, community organizations and property owners all have roles to play in supporting healthcare learners.
MedsHousing.com was created to help connect healthcare learners and professionals with housing opportunities suited to their educational and professional needs.
By bringing together landlords and a specialized healthcare audience, the platform helps make available accommodation easier to discover.
For communities welcoming new medical schools, residency programs and clinical placements, encouraging local property owners to offer suitable accommodation is one practical way to prepare for growing demand.
Have a Room, Apartment or Home Near a Medical School or Hospital?
You don't need to own a large rental property to help support Canada's healthcare workforce.
An extra bedroom, furnished or unfurnished apartment, basement suite, condominium or seasonal home could provide valuable accommodation for someone studying, training or working in healthcare.
Whether your property is in Sydney, Charlottetown, Brampton, Surrey, Vaughan, Muskoka or another Canadian community, it may be well suited to a healthcare learner or professional.
Help house the people who care for our communities.
Landlords: Visit MedsHousing.com to learn how to advertise your available accommodation.
Healthcare learners and professionals: Explore housing opportunities near medical schools, hospitals and clinical training locations across Canada.
Sources and Further Reading
Medical school enrollment, opening schedules and clinical training arrangements may change. Readers should consult the relevant universities for current program information.
