Northern Ontario towns struggle to recruit veterinarians

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Many Northern Ontario communities are struggling to find a vet amid a province-wide shortage. Neil Lawrence, a veterinarian and the president of the Northern Ontario Veterinary Association, says there are a number of reasons behind the shortage. "During COVID, some of the systems we took for granted got stretched and veterinary professionals was one of those professions that got stretched quite a bit. We saw quite a few older veterinarians retire or just burn out," he said, adding that a number of vets sold their clinics to corporations during the pandemic. Lawrence also believes the shortage is indicative of younger vets wanting a better work-life balance. "When we're on call, we're on call for often a couple of days in a row over a weekend and not every veterinarian, especially new grads, are interested in signing up for something like that."


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