In “the best of times” most would support the idea of a medical school at York. But these are “the worst of times” that York has ever seen, and they are about to get much worse if what we now know to be true comes to pass. The costs will not be borne by the medical school as it is currently proposed “in principle”: it will be borne by the university’s existing faculties.

Consider the following:

• The Ford Government “has pledged $9 million over four years as a planning grant for the new medical School, and says after it opens it will fund operating costs” (Rushowy, “Premiere”, 2024). But Ford has made promises to York that he has not kept before (i.e., the Markham campus), leaving York to foot a big bill that is yet to be paid in full and that has contributed significantly to our debt. What happens, moreover, if the government changes?
• A $20 million dollar piece of land has been donated to York for the school by the City of Vaughan, but the capital cost of the project, which York must pay (i.e., via transfers from its other faculties), is estimated conservatively at “$300 million” (YUSOM, p. 20).
• In spite of a debt of $600 million noted by the Auditor General, York argued in the media in 2024 that “[b]y leveraging the extensive teaching, laboratory, administrative and other support infrastructure (including student housing) that currently exists at York University and through the Vaughan Healthcare Precinct, any incremental capital investment can be minimized to focus on building only what is needed” (Rushowy, “Premiere”). But this makes no sense in light of York’s debt and its additionally massive $1.04 billion maintenance deficit (VFM, p. 2). York cannot even pay now for what is needed to support students on our existing campuses. Indeed, it is aggressively cutting costs which are further undermining our infrastructure and student experience at every turn.[1]
• It was also reported in 2024 that York’s “pitch to the government said it would take in 60 students in the first year, and build up to a total enrolment of 360 students” (Rushowy, “Ford Eyes”). Obviously, the medical school’s enrollments will not be a cash cow—they will be a cost necessarily subsidized by the rest of the university even when the target is met.
• Across the university sector enrolments are down. But York’s enrolments are among the worst in the country. York’s “actuals” (i.e., enrolled students) have missed our 2024/2025 targets by 33% at Markham and by 26.1% across Keele and Glendon. Markham’s target, which was to enroll 597 students this year overall, was missed by 195. In other words, the rest of the university is already subsidizing Markham, even as it, too, is in deficit (AEFCUS, pgs. 16 and 12).
• At the recent APPRC forum, the interim Provost and Vice-President Academic’s (PVPA) presentation indicated that funding for capital costs will come from “philanthropy, University, and governments (City of Vaughan donated land valued at $20 million)” (YUSOM, p. 20). But, York’s track record with philanthropic donations is quite poor if Markham is any indication, and if the $20 million dollar piece of land is Vaughan’s only contribution to capital costs, the “University” is left with a bill that will likely supersede the “$300 million” dollar price tag quoted by the PVPA as the estimated cost of the medical school building.
• To be fair, the PVPA’s presentation indicated that the medical school will apply for and likely receive “research funding from Tri-Council and non-federal sources”, but there will also be “[i]ndirect cost revenue shared across [the] University” (YUSOM, p. 20). What is abundantly unclear are the precise faculties that will be expected to share. Obviously, research funding secured by faculty in the medical school will be directed to medical research in that school. It will not be redirected reciprocally in support of other faculties across the university.
• The medical school has been repeatedly presented by the PVPA as an opportunity to build York’s reputation and, thereby, to capture more students and increase enrolments across the university. But the York degree will be a three-year medical degree instead of the normal four, likely as a measure to cut costs. Will this really enhance York’s reputation or invite a critique of its standards and undermine enrolments when compared to existing medical schools with four-year programs in Toronto and across the country?
• York is poised to undergo a major restructuring process that is currently being touted as the “Faculties of the Future”. This restructuring is also being characterised as overdue—many of York’s faculties have been operating at a loss for a number of years. But what should we make of the timing of this initiative in regard to the rapid push to pass the “proposal in principle” for the medical school at Senate: is the pressure on because a main goal of Faculties of the Future is to free up more money from the university to pay for a medical school that will undoubtedly operate at a loss for years to come, placing us in generational debt?

For these reasons, we urge you to contact your representatives at Senate, your Chairs and Directors, your Deans and Principals, and ask them to vote against a current motion to approve the proposal in principle to move ahead immediately with a medical school. Instead, urge them to vote in favour of a reasonable delay of this motion, not to prevent a medical school, but to ensure its success. The success of a medical school at York requires, first and foremost, that the York administration and the Board of Governors factually and transparently demonstrate that such a school will not cost the rest of the university its success at present or in the future.

Works Cited

“Annual Enrolment and Faculty Complement Updates to Senate” (AEFCUS). Senate Agenda. 28 November 2024; pps. 10-110. https://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/wp-content/uploads/sites/107/2024/11/senate-agenda-20241128.pdf

“York University School of Medicine: APPRC Planning Forum” (YUSOM). Academic Policy, Planning and Research Committee Forum. York University. 31 October 2024. https://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/wp-content/uploads/sites/107/2024/10/YUSOM-APPRC-Planning-Forum-Oct-31-2024.pdf

Rushowy, Kristin and Robert Benzie. “Ford Eyes New Medical School”. Toronto Star. 21 Mar 2024. https://www-pressreader-com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/search?query=Medical%20School%20York%20University%20toronto%20star&in=ALL&orderBy=Relevance&searchFor=Articles

Rushowy, Kristin and Robert Benzie. “Premiere Says Ontario Students Should Get Medical School Spots”. Toronto Star. 4 April 2024. https://www-pressreader-com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/search?query=Medical%20School%20York%20University%20toronto%20star&in=ALL&orderBy=Relevance&searchFor=Articles

Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. “Value-for-Money Audit: York University Operations and Capital” (VMA). December 2023. https://www.yorku.ca/laps/faculty-council/wp-content/uploads/sites/265/2023/12/Auditor-Generals-Report-York-University-Operations-and-Capital.pdf

[1] “York’s deferred maintenance backlog has left many of its buildings and infrastructure in increasingly poor condition. York’s deferred maintenance backlog grew 109%, from $459 million to $1.04 billion, between January 2019 and January 2023. The industry norm is for institutions to spend 1.5%–2.5% of the current replacement value of assets on deferred maintenance each year. To achieve this standard, York would need to spend $56–$93 million annually. By contrast, the university spent on average only $18.9 million on deferred maintenance over the past five fiscal years. In September 2022, the Land and Property Committee of the Board developed a five-year plan to manage the backlog, but the committee decided to make” (AGR p. 2).