_{The program will increase the number of Ontario-based veterinary graduates by 20 per cent.}

Lakehead University (Lakehead U) and the University of Guelph (U of G)’s Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program is set to begin classes in the 2025-26 academic year. Students will spend the first two years at Lakehead U’s Thunder Bay campus before moving to Guelph for the program’s final two-year stretch.

With only one veterinary college in the province, U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), Ontario has been grossly limited amidst the growing veterinary shortage. The new program will ensure that both universities are given room to enroll 20 new veterinary students every academic year. Focus will be placed on the recruitment of students from Indigenous and Northern Ontario communities. Overall, the implementation of the program is projected to increase the number of Ontario-based veterinary graduates by 20 per cent.

The collaboration is set to receive $14.7 million in provincial funding distributed over a period of two years starting from 2024-25. The hope is that the educational program, along with several other measures implemented by the Ontario government, will bring access to underserved regions. With over 884,000 acres of farmland, Ontario’s agri-food sector is in dire need of newly licensed veterinarians.