Métis Nation of Ontario supports NOSM University students with $515k bursary

Donation will be matched by the FDC Foundation totalling $1,030,000 for Métis medical students

SUDBURY, ON, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) is providing an endowment of $515,000 to NOSM University, Canada's first independent medical university.

The endowment will fund a bursary program for Métis students pursuing their MD at NOSM University and is being matched by the FDC Foundation.

"As the government representing Métis in Ontario, we are proud to do what we can to encourage academic and skills development, helping citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario achieve their goals," said MNO President Margaret Froh. "This bursary will enable Métis citizens to play a role in the future of medicine in Ontario?a profession Métis people have been under-represented in for far too long."

This MNO funding will support up to six Métis students annually beginning this year at a minimum of $5,000 per year.

"NOSM University aims to represent the diversity of students in Northern Ontario by recruiting applicants directly from our local communities," says Dr. Sarita Verma, President, Vice Chancellor, Dean and CEO of NOSM University. "We are grateful to the Métis Nation of Ontario for its support and encouragement of Indigenous students and the confidence they have shown in NOSM University as we continue our work to improve health outcomes for Northern Ontarians."

"As Métis students, we bring cultural understandings of health from our own lived experiences," said Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO) Post-Secondary Representative Hannah Bazinet. "Encouraging students to share that insight will make way for a more equitable future."  

NOSM University was established to address critical physician shortages in Northern Ontario. In 2011, the MNO and NOSM University signed an agreement to collaborate closely on several initiatives including improving the provision of medical programming that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to Métis people.

Applications to NOSM University's MD program are completed through Ontario Medical School Application Service, which will open mid-July annually. The deadline for application is the first week of October, for admission in September of the following year. MNO citizens who are enrolled at NOSM University are eligible to apply for this bursary.

About the MNO

In 1993, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) was established through the will of Métis people and their communities coming together throughout Ontario to create a Métis-specific, democratic, province-wide governance structure. The MNO represents and advocates on behalf of its citizens who are rights-bearing members of Métis communities that collectively hold rights, interests, and outstanding claims protected by sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, including, but not limited to, the right of self-government. Ontario is home to the 2003 Powley decision, in which the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the existence of the Métis right to harvest for food that is protected by Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution. Powley was?and remains?the only Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") decision affirming Métis rights protected by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

About NOSM University

NOSM University is Canada's first independent medical university and one of the greatest education and physician workforce strategy success stories of Northern Ontario. More than just a medical university, it was purpose built to address the health needs of the region. While advocating for equitable access to care, the university contributes to the economic development of Northern Ontario. NOSM University relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities. With a focus on diversity, inclusion and advocacy, NOSM University is an award-winning, socially accountable organization renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. NOSM University connects researchers, learners, teams and their findings to research entities, provincial health teams, research institutes, academic health sciences centres and health-care organizations. The university strengthens research capacity in Northern Ontario, improving performance and measurable outcomes in health services, quality health care, health and biomedical research and knowledge translation.

Victoria Belton
Senior Consultant, Media Profile 
[email protected] 
416-997-5179

Kimberley Larkin
Manager, Communications
NOSM University
[email protected]
705-669-7943

SOURCE Métis Nation of Ontario