The province is investing $14.7 million to fund a collaboration between the University of Guelph and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay to train veterinarians for large animal practices in Northern Ontario.
The province is also putting up $900,000 to grant $50,000 to students who graduate and agree to provide large animal services in Northern Ontario and to indigenous communities.
“Farmers and large animal owners should be able to access veterinary care when and where they need it,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance.
He was joined by Agriculture Minister Lisa Thompson, Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities, Ontario Veterinary College dean Jeffrey Wichtel, University of Guelph president Charlotte Yates and Michael den Haan, vice-president of external relations for Lakehead University.
Wichtel said hand-wringing about a shortage of large-animal veterinarians, particularly in remote rural areas, has been going on for decades.
It seemed there were no solutions, until now, he said.
Dunlop said she once thought she would like to be a veterinarian.
Thompson said she has two women in her riding who aspire to be veterinarians are finally they have hope that they can pursue their dreams.
“There is a demand for serving as a veterinarian in Ontario,”she said.
Rob Flack, MPP for the Lakehead, was praised for his persistent lobbying for funding to set up veterinary training for Northern Ontario.
The goal is to have 80 students studying veterinary medicine at Lakehead with 20 per year graduating.
The program will increase veterinary training by 20 per cent. it has not increased since the 1980s, said Styles.
