Aspiring Alberta veterinarians will soon be able to get their training in their home province, instead of having to travel elsewhere.
The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alberta’s only vet school, is planning to add 20 extra spots.
This means it will be able to accept 50 new first year students, rather than 30, starting in 2020.
“Veterinary medicine has always called to me,” student Erik Burow said.
He’s one of 127 students currently enrolled at the Spy Hill and Foothills campuses.
The dean of the faculty said adding these new spaces makes sense, and these new vets will play an important role in Alberta’s vital agriculture industry.
“I think we’re going to see a major resurgence in the agriculture sector in Canada,” Dr. Baljit Singh said.
“The agriculture sector in a province like Alberta is going to continue to play a major role and continue to play a stronger role in providing diversification to the economic sector.”
The school was established in 2005 in response to the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak, also known as mad cow disease.
It has a strong focus on rural Alberta and encourages students to practice in smaller communities.
Student Katy White is all for it.
“I definitely am more of a rural community not a city girl. Growing up in Banff, I like that small town kind of aspect. Knowing your neighbours, being able to help out wherever you can.”
WATCH: Taking your dog in for dental work can turn out to be a pretty big operation. Now, as Gil Tucker reports, a Calgary canine is lending a paw, helping to give vet students a new tool they can really sink their teeth into.