Rural Fergus - Family Medicine

McMaster UniversityRural Fergus, OntarioCMG stream

Program websiteWebsite CANPREPPCANPREPPContacts and 1 more link

CaRMS program description, 2027 match, last approved 22 Sep 2026 · See the 2026 version

2027 match programs, from CaRMS as of 5 Oct 2026. Programs can still change until file review opens 26 November; we re-check every two weeks. Always confirm on CaRMS (opens in a new tab).

Positions (approx. quota): 2 positions
Length: 2 years
Stream: CMG
Discipline: Family Medicine
Applications per year: 601+
Applicants offered interviews: 76–100%
Accreditation: Accredited
CaRMS program ID: 35915

Bands are 5-year averages the program reports to CaRMS. They describe past cycles, not your odds.

Summary

This two-year McMaster family medicine program is based in Fergus, a rural Ontario community, and prepares residents for rural family practice.
Core family medicine takes place in Fergus or Elora, off-service rotations in Fergus, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo or Cambridge, and academic sessions at the Guelph Family Health Team.
Second year includes 2 blocks of rural family medicine and 3 elective blocks.

Training

Setting

Rural / remote
Regional community

Sites

2 teaching sites

Groves Memorial Community Hospital (GMCH)
Guelph Family Health Team

Distributed across a region

Rural exposure

Based in a rural community

Focus areas

Rural / remote

Getting around

A car is required

Highlights

Training in culturally sensitive care for the area's significant Mennonite population.
Internal medicine and emergency rotations can be blended between rural Fergus and nearby urban hubs.
Family practice obstetrics group with weekly rounds and a 55-bed hospital handling 600 births yearly.

By year

PGY-1

Family Medicine4 blocks
Care of the Hospitalized Adult2 blocks
Emergency Medicine2 blocks
Women's Health and Obstetrics2 blocks
Care of Children2 blocks
Family Medicine/Academic Programming (Block 7)1 block
Continuity Family Medicine homebase clinics

PGY-2

Family Medicine4 blocks
Elective3 blocks
Rural Family Medicine2 blocks
Core Medicine/Surgery Selective (site-based options)2 blocks
Care of the Elderly1 block
Family Medicine/Academic Programming (Block 7)1 block
Continuity Family Medicine homebase clinics

From the program's rotation list.

Selection

Application file components

CV
Electives
Examinations
Extra-curricular
Leadership skills
MSPRs
Personal letters
Reference documents
Research/Publications
Transcripts
Other file component(s)

Return of service

Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.

Applications per year

601+

Applicants offered interviews

76–100%

Interviews

Dates (2027 match)

16, 18, 20 and 26 Jan 2027

Mode

Virtual

Format

MMI or rotating station

Programs can change interview dates. Confirm on carms.ca.

Pay

Provincial scale, last updated 6 Jan 2025 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab)

Contract expired, may change.

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

One provincial scale for Ontario, set by the resident agreement, so every program there pays the same. Showing the 2 levels this program covers.

Call

Call (provincial max): 7 nights in 28 in-house

The union agreement’s cap for all residents in the province; your program’s actual call schedule may be lighter. Check with the program.

PARO agreement, 1 Jul 2023 to 30 Jun 2026. The term has ended; its terms continue until a new agreement is signed.

Teaching sites

Groves Memorial Community Hospital (GMCH) (Fergus)
Guelph Family Health Team (Guelph)

Hospital facts

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

Contacts

Grouped by the titles CaRMS lists. The program office (administrators and coordinators) usually answers questions about the program and applying; the director leads the training.

Program director

Dr. Heather Waters
Postgraduate Program Director
dfmcarms@mcmaster.ca

Site staffdirectors and coordinators at the teaching sites

Dr. Nagham El-houssein
Rural Site Director
dfmcarms@mcmaster.ca
Dr. Nina Ramic
Fergus Site Education Lead

Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.

Location

Rural Fergus, Ontario

About the city

Public statistics for the place named by this program’s location label, each with its source and reference period. They describe the place, not the program, and are not a ranking. Check each source before you rely on it.

Climate

Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Each value comes from the nearest weather station that reports it, not from the city itself.

January average: −6.9 °C Elora, 5.8 km away
July average: 19.5 °C Elora, 5.8 km away
Snowfall: 114.5 cm a year Toronto Pearson (Airport), 61.7 km away (more than 50 km, so it may differ from the city)
Days below −20 °C: 8.3 days a year Elora, 5.8 km away

People

2021 Census. Figures are for the municipality of Centre Wellington, not the metropolitan area. Statistics Canada rounds counts, so small places are approximate.

Population: 31,093 people up 10.3% from 2016
Official languages: English only 93.4% · French only not reported · English and French 6.3% · neither 0.3% Share of residents who can conduct a conversation in each. This is not the language spoken at home.
Immigrants: 11.3% of residents arrived 2016–2021: 0.7% · non-permanent residents: 0.4%
Indigenous identity: 1.8% of residents
How people commute: car, truck or van 93.9% · public transit 0.3% · walking or cycling 4.3% · other 1.5% Average commute: 24.7 minutes. Shares are of people who commute.The way Canadians commute was altered in 2021 by the pandemic, with lockdowns to slow the spread of COVID-19 and changes in how and where Canadians worked leading to 2.8 million fewer commuters, compared with five years earlier. Statistics Canada, The Daily, 30 Nov 2022(opens in a new tab)
Median household income: $101,000 before tax $88,000 after tax · income year 2020, in 2020 dollars

Rural and remote

This describes the place named by the program’s location label. Programs can train in several towns, so it is not every site.

Population centre: Fergus, a small population centre (1,000 to 29,999 people) 23,209 people in 2021
Remoteness index: 0.093 0 is least remote, 1 is most remote. Statistics Canada calls this index experimental.
Student loan forgiveness: Family medicine here may qualify for up to $60,000 of Canada Student Loan forgiveness. Eligibility depends on the postal code of where you work: check the official postal-code lookup. Postal-code lookup(opens in a new tab)

Housing, cost and work

Each figure names the area it covers. A missing line means the source publishes nothing for this area.

Rental vacancy rate: 3.7% October 2025 survey, Centre Wellington, Ontario (census agglomeration). The share of purpose-built rentals (three units and over) vacant, not a rent.
Basic cost of living: $51,047 a year Market Basket Measure 2025, Ontario, population 30,000 to 99,999, for two adults with two children. A modest, basic basket (the poverty line), not a resident’s budget. A size-class region is not the town itself.

Job outlook

Employment and Social Development Canada’s rating for the occupation in the economic region. It is not a count of jobs, and says nothing about CaRMS positions or your match.

Outlook, 2025–2027: Very good The employment outlook will be Very good for general practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) in the Kitchener - Waterloo - Barrie region for the 2025-2027 period.
Canada-wide, to 2033: Strong risk of Shortage ESDC’s projection for general practitioners and family physicians, 2024–2033. Recent conditions, 2021–2023: Strong signs of Shortage.

Sources and licences

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Cartographic Boundary Files.
Adapted from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Rental Market Survey, October 2025 (vacancy rates), and Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0132-01. This does not constitute an endorsement by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or Statistics Canada of this product.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS), 2024 to 2033 projections).
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020).
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, 3-Year Employment Outlooks).
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Index of Remoteness (17-26-0001), 2021. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Canada Student Loan Forgiveness (Canada.ca), page dated 2026-06-03.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 11-10-0066-01 Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market Basket Measure region, component and base year, 2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0011-01 Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0002-01 Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0057-01 Household income statistics by household type: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0173-01 Mother tongue by knowledge of official languages: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0266-01 Indigenous identity by Registered or Treaty Indian status: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0307-01 Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0458-01 Main mode of commuting by commuting duration, time leaving for work, age and gender: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

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 6 Oct 2026.