New fund aims to bring more vets to rural B.C. as farmers, ranchers struggle

The B.C. government has created a $1.4 million fund aimed at attracting new veterinarians to northern and rural B.C.

The funding is specifically aimed at vets who work with livestock in rural communities.

"I'm hopeful the new program will help rural, small-town practices like ours attract and retain veterinarians and technologists interested in joining a rural practice," said Cori Stephen, a vet in Vanderhoof who is quoted in the government's news release announcing the fund.

The funding comes as the government is working to increase the number of vets working in B.C. after hearing about high levels of burnout and increased demand.

Stephen said she currently faces "long and busy days and nights" trying to keep up with the demand for care in communities along the Highway 16 corridor west of Prince George.

According to the B.C. Cattlemen's Association, a lack of access to vets has had a major impact on the industry, making it more difficult to access care and keep herds alive and impacting the overall viability of running farms in the province.

"It becomes an animal welfare issue if we're not able to properly manage our herd and make sure our needs are looked after," said the association's general manager, Kevin Boone, adding the long distances between farms are one of the major barriers facing the industry.

Through the fund, the government will be offering up to $25,000 to individual vet clinics that can be used to help hire vets and technologists through bonuses, recruiting efforts or the addition of new software and training to help improve capacity.

Clinics in northern B.C. will be the primary recipients of aid, the government says, while those in the southeast, Okanagan, Thompson, Southern Cariboo, Vancouver Island, Lillooet and Pemberton areas will be a secondary priority.

Boone said he expects the fund to have a positive impact but that the "proof will be in the pudding." Overall, though, he said he would expect many more initiatives to be in place to meet the demand for vet care in B.C.

"Is it a silver bullet? No," he said. "Will it increase the ability to give proper care to a percentage of that herd? Yes. Will it be enough? Probably not."

The government says it is working on a number of other programs to increase the number of vets in B.C., including doubling the funding aimed at training new vets from B.C. as well as new legislation that better recognizes vets who are trained in other countries, two things Boone says are desperately needed.

"At the end of the day, we need more vets," he said.