Alberta government to expand U of C’s veterinary medicine facility

The Alberta government will be providing $11.2 million to the University of Calgary to support the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. “It truly is fantastic news worthy of applause,” said Alberta Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney at a Friday press conference. “This additional funding will achieve two very important goals.” Sawhney said $10 million will go towards expanding program capacity, addressing the demand for more veterinarians. She added $1.2 million will support equipment for molecular diagnostics of livestock and capital funding for renovations to the Clinical Skills Building and lab equipment. Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, this spending will allow U of C to have more veterinary medicine students, increasing the number from 50 to 100. The funding will support the development of the Veterinary Learning Commons Building at the U of C Spyhill Campus. In the Veterinary Commons Learning Building, there will be flexible learning and wellness spaces and numerous student gathering areas. Since the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was established almost 20 years ago, the Alberta government has seen the value of spending money on access to it for Albertans. She said its graduates support rural Alberta, the animal and equine industries, animal and human health research, and public health. By providing a new, modern learning space in Calgary, she said the Alberta government “is offering more opportunities for Alberta veterinary students to learn and contribute their expertise closer to home.” As advanced education minister, Sawhney said she wants to work with post-secondary institutions to provide Alberta with the skilled professionals it needs to serve Albertans. She expressed excitement for U of C, the students, and the difference this spending will make for the faculty and future veterinarians. Alberta UCP MLA Jackie Lovely (Camrose) started off the press conference by calling agriculture “a foundational economic sector that creates opportunities in every region of our province while feeding the world.” “However, the global shortage of veterinarians poses a significant challenge to the health and productivity of livestock and farm animals, making it difficult for producers to access timely and quality veterinarian care,” said Lovely. “This is why I’m so proud to be a part of a government that’s targeting investment to support our rural economy, open doors for students, and get more veterinarians trained and working in rural Alberta.” In support of the Alberta government’s initiatives, Lovely said she introduced Motion 524 in 2021 to recognize the important work of veterinarians and explore ways it can help to increase the number of them serving rural Albertans. Motion 524 passed with the unanimous consent of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. U of C President and Vice-Chancellor Edward McCauley said expanding diagnostic services and enrolment was important. “Every Albertan knows how important veterinary medicine is to our economy and we can only support those sectors if universities like the University of Calgary train people in in-demand skills so they can keep up with the job market as well as its changing needs,” said McCauley. “And we could not do that without the incredible support of our partners like the provincial government and the incredible support from our community.” While U of C might be the newest veterinary school in Canada, McCauley said it is ranked third. He acknowledged it ranks 34th in the world. When students spend some time at an institution in a city, Sawhney said they end up staying there after graduation. “And we have an incredible demand,” she said. “We have a shortage of veterinarians in the province.” By having opportunities available for new graduates, she said it will compel them to stay in Alberta. If people have these opportunities, she questioned why they would leave. Most pet owners appreciate the quality of service and care their veterinarians provide, but view them as charging too much, according to a 2022 poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI). READ MORE: Poll finds Canadians value veterinary care, say it costs too muchThree-fifths of Canadians who have taken their dog, cat, or other pet in for veterinary care believe the price they paid for the service was too much, according to the poll. The ARI said 71% of Canadians believe emergency visits for their pets are too much. While 22% thought it was the right price, it said 5% believed it was a good deal and 2% were unsure.

Alberta government to expand U of C’s veterinary medicine facility

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