A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program collaboration at the University of Guelph and Lakehead University is now official.
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“This is a program that is going to generate a tremendous return on the investment in terms of supporting our farmers,” said Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lisa Thompson, speaking April 20 at the U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College.
The province announced in March that it would invest nearly $15 million in the new program, allowing an additional 20 veterinary students per year to enrol starting in 2024.
Why it matters: Ontario does not have enough veterinarians to serve livestock needs in many areas of the province, particularly in northern regions.
“Once you invest this kind of resource in the university, this is a commitment for the generations (and) will continue year after year for decades to come,” said Dr. Charlotte Yates, University of Guelph president and vice-chancellor. “We’ll make sure every year we have those additional vets being trained.”
The provincial agri-food sector is growing, as is the need for veterinary services at the companion, mixed and large animal level, said Yates. The new DVM program will help meet that demand.
Michael den Haan, Lakehead University’s vice-president of external relations, said his university welcomed the University of Guelph as a valuable partner that already has the top veterinary program in Canada.
“It’s an ambitious timeline, a very ambitious goal, so we’re hard at work already. We do have to build new spaces and new facilities,” said den Haan. “The first two years will be in Thunder Bay at Lakehead. The next two years will be in Guelph.”
By leveraging the veterinary college’s existing DVM curriculum, the new collaborative program may expand criteria to target more enrolment from northern, rural and indigenous communities, said Jeffrey Wichtel, dean of the Ontario Veterinary College.
Currently, University of Guelph receives 600 applications for the college’s 100 available seats. With a student average base grade of 93 per cent, competition is stiff.
“We will consider it a failure if we don’t increase the number of students from rural Ontario coming into the veterinary program,” Wichtel said. “Young people are now hopeful they could find a place in the veterinary program, even though they’re from smaller centres.”
He said it’s possible that applicants with on-farm animal care experience could get weighted consideration, in addition to marks, as part of the collaborative DVM criteria.
Admission criteria not yet set
“It’s too early to say right now exactly what criteria we’re going to put into the admissions. We’re looking at Lakehead as subject matter experts to help us with the pipeline of students they’re likely to have as undergraduates,” he said. “Our goal remains the same. How we get there remains to be seen.”
Wichtel suggested that Lakehead’s relationships with Indigenous communities could lead to more Indigenous students in the program.
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“By investing in this unique partnership between the University of Guelph and Lakehead University, we are confirming our support for veterinary services and food security across the North, and giving agri-food producers the confidence they need to expand operations,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and of Indigenous Affairs.
Ontario needs to graduate more veterinarians to keep up with growth and fill vacancies from retirements.
“A (veterinary) workforce shortage is a problem that has broad-ranging implications not only for the animals in need of care but also for the people, industries and communities that care for and rely on them,” said Wichtel.
Curriculum development is ongoing, but den Haan said he hopes to offer internships and co-op placements to Lakehead students in year one, which would provide an immediate service boost in the community.
Covering a huge area
“Northwestern Ontario alone is the size of Germany, and there are veterinarians serving regions 1,000 square kilometres. It’s massive territories,” he explained. “You can imagine the stress they’re under, so anything that adds new veterinarians or helps them with their practices, they’re welcoming. They’re very positive about it.”
In years three and four, den Haan said students will join their University of Guelph cohorts for a lab-intensive component that will use Guelph’s facilities.
Ontario is also investing $900,000 over three years in a veterinary incentive that offers recent grads up to $50,000 in annual grants for providing large animal care in underserviced areas and northern communities.
Den Haan said after graduation, students often remain in southern Ontario but incentive programs, especially those including travel, make a difference.
Lakehead’s Faculty of Law and Nursing has already demonstrated the success of incentive programs in attracting and retaining graduates to serve northern Ontario communities.
“We also feel (this program) has potential to grow if we do it well because we know 20 seats are not enough,” said den Haan. “If we can prove this is going to work well, we’re confident we can expand the program at some point soon.”
Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities, said more seats are possible but would require assessment and communication with the schools.
“If we see a continued demand in those areas, we’ll continue to look at the seat allocations,” she said.
