The provincial government is spending more money to train more vets at Western Canada's main school in Saskatchewan. (Dreamstime)

By Pete McIntyre

B.C. doubles its quota for veterinarian students

Apr 4, 2022 | 4:24 PM

With a shortage of veterinarians in some British Columbia communities, the province is doubling the number of provincially subsidized students at Western Canada’s main training facility at the University of Saskatchewan.

The province is investing $10.7 million to increase B.C. student capacity from 20 to 40 for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Created in 1963, Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in Saskatoon is the only regional veterinary college to serve B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“Veterinarians play a critical role in supporting B.C. farmers and food security,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food. “The additional seats at WCVM will support farmers’ businesses and the welfare of their animals as well as ensuring we have a resilient food supply and food economy for the years ahead.”

In both 2020 and 2021, 12 B.C. students were admitted to non-provincially subsidized seats at WCVM, requiring an additional $55,000 tuition fee per student.

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The province is providing an additional $1.2 million in funding to the college, which enables the school to waive $55,000 in tuition fees for 24 previously admitted B.C. students who were not in a provincially subsidized seat.

Further training opportunities for a career in animal care in B.C. include veterinary technologist programs at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Douglas College. TRU also offers an online program to enable students currently employed in veterinary clinics to complete the veterinary technologist program.

The BC Liberals appreciate the new funding but wonder how long the support will last.

“The Opposition has been speaking out for a year about the shortage of veterinarians and the stress and burnout they are feeling as a result, so it’s nice to see the NDP finally taking some action,” said Ian Paton, Agriculture critic and MLA for Delta South.

“However, the announcement only mentions subsidizing students for the 2022-23 academic year. What happens beyond that? The government must remove this uncertainty and reassure veterinarians that long-term support will be there.”