SASKATOON — The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is celebrating its past and future contributions to the veterinary profession during the regional college’s 60th anniversary homecoming on June 6-7.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to look to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the WCVM,” said Dr. Gillian Muir (DVM, PhD), the college’s dean and a 1988 graduate. “We’re celebrating the past but looking to the future.”
In the mid-1960s, Canada’s western provinces worked together to establish a regional veterinary college based at the USask campus in response to a severe shortage of veterinarians across the West. The college’s first class of 33 western Canadian students began their four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program in September 1965, and the WCVM officially opened its own permanent building in July 1969.
Today, the WCVM is a world-class institution with more than 3,500 veterinary graduates, and facilities and programs that continue to address the changing needs of its stakeholders. In addition to its DVM degree program, the college operates the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre—a full-service veterinary teaching hospital that serves as both a primary care and referral hub for western Canadian veterinarians and animal owners. The WCVM also has a robust research program that generated more than $14.4 million in new funding in 2023-24.
Tiffany Matejka and Julianne Lavoie, who graduated from the WCVM in 2024, work with young lambs during their fourth-year small ruminant neonatal rotation. | Photo by Christina Weese
During the weekend’s anniversary celebrations, Muir will share recent announcements supporting the college’s future success.
- May 2025: the Governments of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba—the veterinary college’s three provincial partners—renewed their financial commitment to the WCVM through a long-standing interprovincial agreement. The agreement provides more than $194 million to the WCVM over the next five years.
- April 2025: the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) renewed accreditation for the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre—testament to the hospital’s ongoing commitment to providing top-tier veterinary care for animals across Western Canada.
- March 2025: the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education granted full accreditation status to the WCVM after a successful site visit in October 2024. Reviewed every seven years, AVMA accreditation is the highest standard of achievement for veterinary medical education in the United States and Canada.
In response to the current shortage of veterinarians across Canada, the WCVM recently increased the class size for its DVM program from 78 to 88 seats—the maximum capacity for its current facilities and resources. The WCVM is also exploring a potential expansion and renewal project that would allow the college to accept even more veterinary students in the future.
“We’re again facing a shortage of veterinarians similar to what was happening 60 years ago in Western Canada, but now the circumstances are different,” said Muir. “This time we’re seeing widespread shortages across the profession.”
As part of the expansion planning, the veterinary college and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association are investigating the option of developing permanent clinical testing and training facilities for the National Examining Board (NEB) program’s two practical examinations at the WCVM. This initiative would increase the nation’s capacity to qualify internationally educated veterinarians to work in Canada.
— Submitted by USask Media Relations
