Message from the President: Funding confirmed for SFU Medical School through Budget 2024

February 29, 2024

Last week, we were thrilled to hear the provincial government confirm that the SFU Medical School will be funded through Budget 2024. This is a significant milestone for SFU and will allow us to continue our journey towards establishing the first medical school to be built in Western Canada in over 55 years.

The provincial funding through Budget 2024 allows us to forge ahead in the drive to create a medical school at SFU's Surrey campus without drawing on the finances of the university. We look forward to sharing more details about the funding as they are made available by government.

While this is exciting news, it is only one step on the road before us. The months and year ahead will be focused on internal processes and consultation. I look forward to collaborating with SFU Senate, the Board of Governors and the whole community as we work through approval processes and accreditation together.

Thank you to the SFU Medical School team and everyone that supported the development of the medical school business case, as well as members of the university community who contributed to this work through town halls, meetings and discussions. Our partnerships with the Fraser Health Authority and First Nations Health Authority were also instrumental. We appreciate the widespread external community support as well.

I am grateful to the provincial government for investing in SFU and in better healthcare for all British Columbians. As we continue these conversations, our focus will be on ensuring that the prospective medical school provides an excellent education for future students, creates new opportunities for all of us at SFU and fulfills the needs of our province.

Joy Johnson
President & Vice-Chancellor
Simon Fraser University