B.C. set to open Western Canada’s first new medical school in decades

Applications are being accepted for those wanting to become doctors through Simon Fraser University, in what the B.C. government says is the first new medical school in Western Canada in decades.

Premier David Eby announced Tuesday that the school will begin instruction at an interim location next summer, but a permanent site at Surrey’s City Centre has also been secured.

The premier says the school is part of the province’s efforts to improve health care by addressing B.C.’s need for more primary-care physicians.

The initial class of 48 students will start at Simon Fraser University’s existing campus in Surrey, while construction of the permanent facility begins late next year and is expected to be ready for classes by the fall 2030.

The estimated cost of the new medical school is abo