Mayors reach consensus on medical school.

Mayor disgruntled by province's decision, but willing to support initiative

A single "made-in-the-North" medical school is unacceptable and will not address doctor shortages in northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff says.

In response to the province's decision to base a Northern Ontario medical school out of Sudbury's Laurentian University with Lakehead University in Thunder Bay hosting a satellite clinical component, Boshcoff says Thunder Bay and the rest of northwestern Ontario have nothing to gain if the training facility is located in Sudbury.

* Boshcoff attended a May 23 meeting in Thunder Bay that brought about 50 municipal, medical and business representatives from northeastern and northwestern Ontario together to discuss the issue.

He says while he is pleased the government has acknowledged the need for a medical school in Northern Ontario, he hopes it will change its mind on the one-site option.

"The meeting ended with the conclusion that we (Northern Ontario communities) will congratulate the government on its concept for a made-in-the-North medical school, and that we would all work together to develop a business plan based on the original model that would have two degree-granting medical campuses, one at Lakehead and one at Laurentian," Boshcoff says. "That kind of takes the pressure off Sudbury having to defend what they got, and it shows the North is still united for the understanding that the solution of just having a school at Laurentian would not solve our problems. Clearly, this is only half a solution."

Boshcoff says by moving forward with a business plan designed for two campuses, he is hoping the government will rethink its decision and "see how valid our case is."

He adds if the government ignores the business plan and sticks with its decision for just one medical school, he will have no choice but to be supportive.

"We don't want to jeopardize the Sudbury scenario," Boshcoff adds.

But he says one medical school campus in Sudbury would be of little benefit for Thunder Bay, which - under the government's proposal - would see only 20 of the 55 undergraduate students in their final two years for clinical training.

The original proposal called for a twin-campus medical school with an equal partnership between the two universities.

Health Minister Tony Clement, in announcing the location for the medical school, said Laurentian was chosen because it has more capacity and space than Lakehead, and because Sudbury has more doctors available to teach at the school.