About 35 medical students will be learning their craft in Innisfil in February.

The University of Toronto students will be using the town council chambers for classes on Feb. 3. Later that day, they'll be travelling to Innisfil Beach Park, to practice ice rescue maneuvers.

"We just had a meeting yesterday, and there's one item in particular that's quite exciting," said Baier, during a council meeting earlier this month. "This is something they do yearly. They will be (at town hall) in the morning, taking courses. In the afternoon, they'll be participating in some exciting experiential learning. They'll have some opportunity to do some training with police, paramedic and fire staff."

The students will also get to see some of the recreational opportunities available on Lake Simcoe, and within the town. In other words, it may also help attract some of those students to the area, once they graduate, said Baier.

"It's an opportunity to showcase Innisfil," she said. "We're ideally hoping we'll attract a few of them back to settle here and open a practice."

The announcement comes several weeks after council approved $20,000 in funding for the York University Faculty of Health, money that will be used to develop a needs assessment of health care services for the town. Once a formal agreement is signed between the town and university faculty, students will begin conducting research that could form the foundation for a business case — a key document for obtaining additional health care services in the municipality.

"We're quite close to a final contract," said Baier. "The plan is that students will begin in January, when their new term begins. We expect to get a report back by September."

During the meeting, council also appointed Michelle Hunter, Barbara Love, Roderick Rice, David Cooper, Pat Dryden and Susan Gilchrist to the health committee.