Ontario Launches Consultations to Modernize Veterinary Services

Nov 21, 2022

The Ontario government is launching consultations to explore opportunities to modernize the Veterinarians Act. The government’s first substantial review in 30 years will explore amendments to the legislative framework, opening the door to a new standard of veterinary medicine in Ontario that is modern and flexible.

“The last significant update to the Veterinarians Act was in 1989, and we recognize that it no longer reflects the realities of modern veterinary practice” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “That is why our government is beginning consultations to modernize the Act to provide a strong foundation for the future.

As part of the first phase of consultations, the public can provide comments on modernizing the legislative framework to reduce red tape for veterinarians and make it easier to provide critical services to animal owners across Ontario. This will inform a discussion paper that will be posted to the Regulatory Registry in 2023. The government is seeking feedback on:

Click here to see more...

Video: Biosecurity Compliance - Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal, discusses the human side of biosecurity compliance. He explains why protocols often fail when people are tired, unconvinced, undertrained, or working with impractical systems, and how leadership, employee input, technology, feedback, and small incentives can make biosecurity more consistent on swine farms. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Biosecurity only works when people repeatedly do the right thing, and that means the system has to support compliance every day."

Meet the guest: Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt is a veterinarian and professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal. His work focuses on biosecurity, infectious disease control, and practical risk reduction in animal production systems, with experience across swine and poultry health. Learn more from Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.