'There's a real need': Minister of Advanced Education announces more funding for vet college
The provincial government is giving the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) $2.2 million dollars over four years to put more local students in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program.
“On behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan, I’m very proud to help expand subsidized student seats here at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine from 20 to 25,” said Minister of Agriculture, David Marit.
Saskatchewan currently commits $11.9 million to the WCVM. In 2023-2024, a commitment of $539,000 will increase year over year to reach $2.2 million in 2026-27.
The province is joining British Columbia and Manitoba in committing money to addressing the shortage of veterinarians in their provinces.
An interprovincial agreement between those provinces and the WCVM was signed in 2020. The current agreement ends in 2025.
"I'm really excited for the future of veterinary medicine in Saskatchewan. I think this is a great opportunity for our province, especially with the shortage of veterinarians," said Jackson Goudy, second-year WCVM veterinary student and president-elect of the Western Canadian Veterinary Students' Association.
"This is a great way to increase the number of vets delivering animal health care in Saskatchewan."
Dean of the WCVM, Dr. Gillian Muir said adding seats for local students across western Canada will help ensure they stay in the province after graduation.
“These seats that we’ve got specially set aside for students with a rural focus, Manitoba is going to be joining that program for Manitoba students,” Muir told CTV News. “There’s just going to be that many more students who are ready to practise in rural Saskatchewan.”
Minister of Advanced Education, Gordon Wyant said it’s crucial to replace the veterinarians in the rural part of the province, not just in cities.
“This announcement is pretty important in terms of how we ensure that there are more vets,” said Wyant. “And not just practising in cities, but certainly our focus is ensuring more vets are working in rural Saskatchewan, where there’s a real need.”
In addition to the subsidized student seats, the Saskatchewan government is expanding its Student Loan Forgiveness program for veterinarians and vet technologists.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.