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Good practice Imported

Ontario Learn and Stay Grant

Canada · Toronto · See the Canada profile · See the Toronto profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 42% 71/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Ontario funds full tuition for 12,700+ nursing, paramedic and lab-tech students (C$171 M+) who commit to working in their study region in Northern, Eastern or Southwestern Ontario, directly linking publicly-funded training to local healthcare retention.

12,700+
Learners supported (by March 2026)
C$171 million+
Total funding disbursed (by March 2026)
C$53 million+
Northern Ontario funding (by March 2026)
3,850+
Northern Ontario healthcare workers trained (by March 2026)
260
Eastern Ontario service-commitment completions/in progress (early 2026)
200
Northern Ontario service-commitment completions/in progress (early 2026)
C$261.7 million
2025 budget addition (2025 provincial budget)
Ontario Learn and Stay Grant

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Government of Ontario — Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security
Period
2023–present
Keywords
healthcare, nursing, regional retention, higher education, paramedicine

Context

Ontario's healthcare system faces persistent workforce shortages in smaller cities and rural areas, particularly in Northern, Eastern and Southwestern Ontario. The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant (OLSG), launched in the 2023–24 academic year by the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, funds 100% of tuition, books and direct education costs for students enrolling in nursing, paramedicine and medical laboratory technology programmes at colleges and universities in these shortage regions.

Objectives

The grant aims to create an enforceable link between publicly-funded healthcare training and local retention, addressing shortages in underserved regions.

Activities

Recipients commit to working at least 180 days per year in the region where they studied for each year of funded study; participating institutions include Lakehead University, Northern College, Sault College, St. Clair College, Mohawk College and others.

Results

By March 2026, more than 12,700 learners had been supported with over C$171 million in funding, including C$53 million+ for Northern Ontario training 3,850+ healthcare workers; by early 2026, 260 recipients in Eastern Ontario and 200 in Northern Ontario had completed or were actively completing their regional service commitments. The 2025 provincial budget added C$261.7 million in new funding.

Conclusions

No post-graduation longitudinal retention study has yet been published; the early service-commitment completions represent an initial proof-of-concept rather than definitive evidence that the grant increases long-term regional healthcare retention.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Very high (> €5M) — Over C$171 million disbursed to 12,700+ learners by March 2026; the 2025 provincial budget added a further C$261.7 million.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — Launched in the 2023–24 academic year; early recipients in Eastern and Northern Ontario have begun completing multi-year service commitments as of early 2026.
Staffing & skills
Delivered by the Government of Ontario — Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security — in partnership with participating colleges and universities (Lakehead University, Northern College, Sault College, St. Clair College, Mohawk College and others).

Conditions for success

  • Full (100%) coverage of tuition, books and direct education costs, not a loan
  • An enforceable service commitment (180 days/year) tied to the specific study region
  • Partnership with multiple regional post-secondary institutions across shortage regions

Common failure modes

  • No post-graduation longitudinal retention study has been published; early completions are proof-of-concept, not confirmed long-term retention
  • Programme depends on annual provincial budget appropriations rather than a permanent funding structure

Where it fits

Governance type
provincial government grant programme
Scale
province-wide, targeted shortage regions
Income level
high-income (Canada/Ontario)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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