Skip to content
CdnMD

Thunder Bay - Family Medicine

NOSM UniversityThunder Bay, Ontario

Stream

At a glance

Approx. quota
11 positions+1 from 10 in the 2026 match
1 position
Length
2 years
Applications per year
51–200
601+
Offered interviews
76–100%
0–25%

CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates

IMG stream · open to international medical graduates

Return of service: Required

IMG requirement: Observerships don’t count as clinical experience details under How they choose

Social

all 2 info sessions of this program

Thu 7 Jan 2027,7:00 pm EST

Interviews

3 dates, 21–23 Jan 2027virtual

1 date, 15 Jan 2027virtual

Thunder Bay, 6 teaching sites · 16 rural weeks

A car is recommended

After residency in Ontario: capitation model, entry capped

Program website(opens in a new tab)Instagram(opens in a new tab)CANPREPP profile(opens in a new tab)CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab)

What stands out about this program

  • Housing support for core rotations away from home base for up to 6 months per year.

    From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page

  • Interviews can be requested in French, Ojibway, Cree, Anishininimowin or another Indigenous language.

    From “Interviews” on the CaRMS page

  • This is a 2-year family medicine residency based in Thunder Bay, with clinical training at sites including Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
  • Residents have mandatory rotations away from the home site each academic year.
  • Housing support is provided for core rotations away from home base, and access to a vehicle is strongly recommended.

The summary is written by CdnMD from the program’s CaRMS description.

Based on what the program says about itself.

  • You’re open to training at sites across a region, not at one hospital.
    Show the quote

    Our program spans the geography of northern Ontario and experiences exist across all our regions. At times, residents will travel for rotations, away from their home site, to experience the breadth of the discipline.

Not a ranking.

What training looks like

Setting
  • Regional community
  • Rural / remote
  • Academic / tertiary hospital
Rural exposure
Required rural rotation (16 weeks)
Focus areas
  • Northern
  • Rural / remote
  • Indigenous health
Research
Offered · research or quality-improvement project
Getting around
  • A car is recommended
  • Housing away from the home site is provided or paid for
  • Travel is reimbursed

By year

PGY-1
  • Family Medicine12
  • Family Medicine - Inpatient4
  • Family Medicine Rural8
  • Internal Medicine4
  • Emergency Medicine4
  • Obstetrics/Women’s Health4
  • Mental Health4
  • Pediatrics4
  • Electives8
PGY-2
  • Family Medicine12 or 16
  • Family Medicine - Inpatient4 or 8
  • Family Medicine Rural8
  • CARE Selective (Community Aligned Resident Experience)4
  • Internal Medicine4
  • Emergency Medicine4
  • Obstetrics/Women’s Health4
  • Surgical Selective4
  • Electives8

✓ = the CaRMS page states it; – = not stated. From the program description and its rotation list.

Where you train

Thunder Bay, Ontario: 6 teaching sites; 16 rural weeks. A car is recommended.

  • Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
  • St. Joseph’s Care Group
  • NorWest Community Health Centres
  • Dilico Family Health Team
  • Anishnawbe Mushkiki
  • Thunder Bay District Health Unit

Distributed across a region

Record systems at the listed sites: MEDITECH at 2 of 6; no published record for 4.

Hospital facts

2 sites · clinical record systems where an official source states them

What official sources say for hospitals named above, each with its source and the date we read it. They describe the hospital, not the program. We match names to the sources by name, so check each source before you rely on it.

Clinical record
MEDITECH Expanse, system named (how far it goes is not stated) As of 31 Oct 2026. At Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

ONE HITS runs MEDITECH Expanse for northeastern Ontario hospitals in two waves: the three founding hospitals went live in October 2019; the 20 hospitals of Wave 2 (including Health Sciences North) are moving over, with no date on the page. As of 31 Oct 2026

Verify with the official source: each source button opens the publisher’s own page.

Hospital size and activity: Ontario doesn't publish this as open data.

About Thunder Bay

  • People

    108,843residents, 2021 Census

    Municipality of Thunder Bay

  • Housing

    3.9%rental vacancy rate

    October 2025 survey, Thunder Bay, Ontario (census metropolitan area)

  • Winter and summer

    −13.4 °CJanuary mean18.0 °CJuly mean

    1991–2020 normals, Thunder Bay, 6.3 km away

  • Job outlook

    Very goodfor the specialty here, 2025–2027

More about Thunder Bay (its page: housing, getting around, weather, things to do, and every program that names it)

Sites as the program’s CaRMS page lists them. City figures are public statistics for the place named by the location; they describe the place, not the program.

How they choose

Application file components
  • CV
  • Electives
  • Examinations
  • Extra-curricular
  • Leadership skills
  • MSPRs
  • Personal letters
  • Reference documents
  • Research/Publications
  • Transcripts
  • Other file component(s)
Application file components
  • CV
  • Electives
  • Examinations
  • Extra-curricular
  • Leadership skills
  • MSPRs
  • Personal letters
  • Reference documents
  • Research/Publications
  • Transcripts
Return of service
Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
Return of service
Required
IMG requirements
  • Observerships don’t count as clinical experience

Application file components as each stream’s CaRMS page describes them.

Interviews and info sessions

Interview dates (2027 match)
21, 22 and 23 Jan 2027
Interview dates (2027 match)
15 Jan 2027
Format
Virtual
  • Traditional (one on one/two on one)

Info sessions

From the program’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab), read 20 Oct 2026; a row tagged CANPREPP is on CANPREPP’s events calendar (read 24 Oct 2026), alone or as well. Dates and times are as the program wrote them; “your time” is worked out in your browser when your time zone differs. Programs add and change sessions.

Pay and call

Provincial scale, last updated 6 Jan 2025 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab). Contract expired, may change. One provincial scale for Ontario, set by the resident agreement, so every program there pays the same. Showing the 2 levels this program covers.

Annual salary by PGY level, Ontario
LevelAnnual salary
PGY-1
$73,367 / year
PGY-2
$79,670 / year

How provincial pay and rent compare

Call

Call (provincial max)
7 nights in 28 in-house
Post-call rule (provincial)
No new patient responsibilities after 24 hours in-hospital, except what clinical handover needs
Max continuous duty (provincial)
24 hours in-hospital, then relieved after handover (up to 2 hours)

The union agreement’s limits and rules for all residents in the province; your program’s actual call schedule may be lighter. PARO agreement, 1 Jul 2023 to 30 Jun 2026. The term has ended; its terms continue until a new agreement is signed. Read as of 1 Oct 2026.

After residency

Family doctors in Ontario can join a model that pays for enrolled patients, hours worked and visits: the Family Health Organization (FHO), FHO+ since 1 April 2026. A new graduate is a physician who joins a patient enrolment model within three years of completing a family medicine residency; the status runs for 12 months from joining. Entry is capped: 40 physicians a month for FHO, 60 a month for FHO+ in the first year of the 2024-2028 agreement; later years to be determined. Compare provinces

Official pages read 31 Oct 2026.

Past matches

Open after round 1 in 6 of 8 years (2019–2026); still open after round 2 in 2 of 9 years.

Positions at this site, all streams. Site as CaRMS lists it: Thunder Bay.

Show the table, with round 2
Positions at this site, all streams, still open after round 1 and after round 2, by year. Each count above zero links to the CaRMS list page it comes from.
YearOpen after round 1Open after round 2
2018not available0
20194 positions open after round 1 in 2019, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20205 positions open after round 1 in 2020, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)3 positions open after round 2 in 2020, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)
20211 position open after round 1 in 2021, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20224 positions open after round 1 in 2022, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)2 positions open after round 2 in 2022, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)
20235 positions open after round 1 in 2023, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20244 positions open after round 1 in 2024, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
202500
202600

CaRMS’s first-round list for 2018 was not found, so round 1 is counted over 8 years and round 2 over 9.

What this means

  • A position can go unfilled because of where the site is, because it is open to IMGs only or to another restricted stream, or because the quota changed late.
  • It says nothing about the quality of the training or how heavy the workload is.
  • A site’s numbers are shown when it had positions open after round 1 in at least 2 of 8 years or at least 3 in one year.

Source: CaRMS’s lists of positions open after round 1 and after round 2, as read in October 2026 (latest: 2026 round 1 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab), 2026 round 2 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab)).

Year by year

2027 match

The 2027 match, one row per stream (scrolls sideways on narrow screens)
StreamPositionsLengthInterviewsWhat changed
CMG stream112 years3 dates, 21–23 Jan 2027Virtual
  • Positions 10 → 11 from the 2026 match
  • CaRMS page changed during the match: requirements (noticed 13 Oct)
IMG stream12 years1 date, 15 Jan 2027Virtual
  • CaRMS page changed during the match: requirements (noticed 13 Oct)

2026 match

The 2026 match, one row per stream (scrolls sideways on narrow screens)
StreamPositionsLengthInterviews
CMG stream102 years5 dates, 22 Jan – 8 Feb 2026
IMG stream12 years1 date, 16 Jan 2026
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
  • NOSM University's Family Medicine Residency in Thunder Bay offers a comprehensive, competency-based training experience in northern Ontario.
  • Residents will receive diverse training across multiple clinical settings, with exposure to various family practice styles and opportunities to work in rural and remote locations.
Research
Residents can participate in scholarly activities, including research and quality improvement projects, with support from faculty tutors.
Training setting
Thunder Bay, located in Northwestern Ontario, offers training across multiple medical facilities including Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph's Care Group, and various community health centers.
Teaching approach
Competency-based medical education using the Triple C curriculum, focusing on comprehensive care, continuity of learning, and community-based training with ongoing coaching and feedback.
Enhanced skills
Not stated on CaRMS page
What the program looked at
  • FMProC (Family Medicine Professional Choices) situational judgement test
  • Academic record
  • Reference letters
  • Personal letter
  • Interview performance
  • Demonstrated interest in Family Medicine

Positions, length and interviews as each match’s CaRMS pages stated them; what changed from our comparison of the two matches and our readings of the 2027 pages.

Contacts and links

Program director

  • Dr. Jason Sutherland

CaRMS lists no email for the director.

Program office

Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing. Site staff and other contacts are listed there too.

Program websiteWebsiteInstagramCANPREPPCANPREPPVideo - Family Medicine at NOSM University(opens in a new tab)This program on CaRMS(opens in a new tab)

Family Medicine elsewhere

Nearest to Thunder Bay

In these collections: · All collections

Source

The CMG stream’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab), last approved 9 Oct 2026 · The IMG stream’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab), last approved 9 Oct 2026 · 2027 match · not final until file review opens 26 November; as of 19 Oct 2026, re-checked every two weeks.

Accredited · CaRMS program IDs 35755 (CMG stream), 35658 (IMG stream) · How these pages are made › · See the 2026 match under Year by year

What changed, noticed 13 Oct: CMG stream: Reference documents: wording changed and 2 more. See what changed

What changed on the program’s CaRMS page

We read each program’s CaRMS page about every two weeks and note what differs. The date is when we noticed it; the change was made in the window shown. Reformatting is not listed, and a contacts change is listed without names.

  1. Noticed 13 Octchanged between 5 and 13 Oct

    • CMG stream: Reference documents: wording changed

      … skills, ability to communicate effectively, your attitudes toward learning, and your commitment to Family Medicine. If possible, one or more SRLs completed by a Family …
      From the CaRMS page, read 13 Oct

    • IMG stream: Language proficiency: wording changed

      … at the undergraduate medical school was conducted completely in English, then a candidate can submit a copy, or printout, of the World Directory of Medical Schools website listing the medical school which clearly states that the language of instruction is …
      From the CaRMS page, read 13 Oct

    • IMG stream: Reference documents: wording changed

      … CaRMS will be the only form of reference letters accepted . The Family Medicine Structured Reference Letter has been updated for the 2027 R-1 match. As a result, all previous versions are invalid and have been removed from applicant accounts. …
      From the CaRMS page, read 13 Oct

The Applications per year and Offered interviews figures are 5-year averages the program reports to CaRMS: past cycles, not your odds.

Independent. Not affiliated with CaRMS or the program. Programs edit their descriptions during the match; confirm on carms.ca (opens in a new tab) before you apply. Data last updated on CdnMD 24 Oct 2026.

Did this page answer your question?

For the CMG streamIMG stream · change stream