More Work to Be Done: The Veterinary Assistance Program

Friday, May 22, 2026

Northern producers want their voices heard in modernized VAP

By Emily McKinlay

Rural Ontario continues to struggle with the shortage of large-animal veterinarians.

The Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP) was started in 1945 to support veterinarian access for livestock farmers in rural and northern communities. In February, the Ontario government announced its first steps toward modernizing VAP. While the livestock industry recognizes the enhancements to the program, some producers want to ensure their voices continue to have a role in it.

The past & current VAP

The VAP has a long history, dating back to its establishment in 1945 by OMAFA, known as OMAFRA at the time.

“Farmers were moving north and were clearing land and starting to raise livestock, and the government recognized that,” says Charles Regele, current chair of the Northern Producer Animal Health Network (NPAHN).

“At the beginning, the government paid veterinarians to move to underserviced areas and set up clinics.”

In 1997, VAP was transferred to the Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth. Until the recent updates, VAP was administered by the ministry, with NPAHN serving as the point of contact between the ministry and the local veterinary service committees (VSCs).

The program would grant the veterinarian a contract to reimburse up to $40,000 in travel costs at $1.20 per km during the program period, based on the number of reported calls serviced. VAP has also provided some funding opportunities for continued education and locum assistance. To apply to the program, a veterinary business would apply to their local VSC, which would then provide the nomination to NPAHN. Communications with the ministry were then carried out by NPAHN.

The changes to VAP that were recently announced include:

• Expanded eligibility to include all veterinary practices providing services to the agri-food and fur sectors in eligible areas,
• Recognition of registered veterinary technicians as eligible participants,
• Recognition of honeybees and fish as eligible livestock,
• An increase in the mileage compensation from $1.20 to $1.50 per km for non-isolated veterinarians and a nine per cent increase in compensation for isolated veterinarians,
• Recognition of telemedicine as an eligible expense,
• The removal of the $40,000 contract limit and a transition to allocations based on historic disbursement, to reflect the needs of eligible areas,
• Streamlining the process for veterinary practices to submit applications directly to the ministry.

Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth George Pirie says the goal of VAP remains to support agriculture and the economy in Northern Ontario.

“We are trying to be inclusive to all types of agriculture to continue to expand the economy. I’m really enthusiastic about the request to modernize this program and the opportunity to expand the agriculture sector in Northern Ontario,” says Pirie.

“We have millions of acres available for cultivation, and we don’t have that same opportunity in Southern Ontario as we continue to consume agricultural land. We have to ensure that the sustainable leg that the agriculture file has always provided is in Northern Ontario as well. We are willing to fail forward to make sure we attract veterinarians into Northern Ontario.”

Mixed feelings: optimism & uncertainty

The expansions to VAP compensation and eligibility are exciting changes that will continue to encourage growth in the livestock sector in Northern Ontario. While many of the changes will benefit rural veterinarians, members of NPAHN and VSCs are questioning whether compensation increases can keep pace with rising costs. They are also concerned about the potential reduction in the role of the grass-roots organizations.

In the February release by the Ontario government, representatives from organizations including OFA, Beef Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Aquaculture Association, and the Ontario Veterinary College shared their appreciation for the changes.

“The good changes in my opinion are the broadening of the program to cover telemedicine and the compensation for registered veterinary technicians,” says Regele.

“But moving forward, based on the announcement that came out, the ministry is eliminating VSCs and NPAHN from VAP. That creates a challenge. Who does the farmer phone if there is an issue or if they have a problem with the veterinary service?”

While farmers still have the option to connect with their respective commodity groups or contact the ministry directly, Regele is concerned that, without direct input from farmers, the program may lose touch with the needs of producers and veterinarians.

“If it wasn’t for the farmers producing livestock in this area, we wouldn’t need a vet,” says Regele.

“They go hand-in-hand, so to take out the grassroots input to make the program work better doesn’t make sense.”

Bill Orford, farmer and president of the Manitoulin Veterinary Service Committee, says that he believes it is important to have an opportunity for producer feedback.

“This leaves a big hole that needs to be filled with proper communication. There has to be a tier in between the government and veterinarians — a level where producers and vets can communicate,” says Orford.

“There are positives to these changes, but there are still a lot of holes that, if not filled properly, will be detrimental to food safety as a result of a lack of veterinarian service.”

Pirie states that the ministry received feedback that the process was at times too complicated, a concern Regele also noted was common among NPAHN.

“As the program developed, the reporting paperwork got much more complicated,” says Regele.

“I know vet clinics that had to hire someone to have the paperwork done for them. The veterinarians are busy making calls and basically had to contract out to someone who could take the time to fill out the paperwork for VAP and submit it to the ministry.”

NPAHN has fielded requests to streamline the process related to workload, and the ministry has received requests to streamline the process to increase program transparency and reduce entry barriers.

Collectively, this feedback was recognized by the VAP updates, but the elimination or re- duction of NPAHN and VSC involvement was not the intended outcome, according to Regele.

NPAHN and the VSCs are also concerned that the increases to compensation don’t reflect the rising cost of running a vet service.

“In 1996, the compensation per kilometre was moved to $1.20, and it has been stagnant since. The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) has done a lot of work in the creation of a recommended rate for a vet travelling from farm to farm, and that current rate is $5.20,” says Regele.

“It hasn’t kept pace, and that’s a huge issue. That affects retention.”

Recognizing the importance of supporting veterinarians in Northern and rural Ontario, Pirie says the changes are intended to renew enthusiasm for VAP and ensure its longevity.

“The program historically has been undersubscribed, and the budget now is the same as it was in 1997. With the pressures on Ontario’s economy because of Trump’s tariffs, we have to look at every program. We know how important vets are to the growing agriculture potential in Northern Ontario, and my fear was that the program was going to be cancelled,” says Pirie.

“We had to make changes that would excite the community about the program. We have to be prepared to fail forward. As a first crack at modernization, we know it’s not 100 per cent right yet, but we have to make sure we stay in budget. I would consider it a success if it became over-subscribed immediately and we could say, ‘yes, this is a valuable program.’”

Looking forward

While the modernization of VAP is a first step toward improving support for vet access in Ontario, there is still work to be done.

“As our farms become bigger and some farmers get out of agriculture, there are fewer people who have grown up with cattle or horses. Our selection of young individuals who are interested in large animals has shrunk over the last 30 years,” says Regele.

“Even when a vet is interested in large animals and goes into practice, the retention of those vets can be very hard.”

To improve recruitment and retention of vets, Regele says that NPAHN would like to see further improvements to compensation for travel between farms.

The initial rate of compensation per kilometre in VAP was set at 50 per cent of the OVMA rate — currently $5.20 — resulting in a compensation rate of $2.60 per km.

“What NPAHN has asked for is for that dollar value to go up to $2.50 per km, but we would even be happy at $2.00,” says Regele.

“The government has kept the individual contract compensation capped at $40,000, and those veterinarians who have stayed in large animal service are doing more calls and driving farther.

“Many of those vets are taking calls that exceed their cap and are doing it without compensation.”

Under the recent changes, the $40,000 cap on contracts has been removed in favour of contracts reflecting historical usage.

“Areas that made a higher number of calls will have a higher budget and funding allocation. The new program is more responsive to veterinary need and can be flexible,” says a spokesperson for the Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth.

Regele emphasizes the importance of continued support for the VAP program to ensure that vets can afford to serve in rural and isolated regions. It is also important to keep producer voices involved in program delivery and development.

“There has been some neglect of the program in the last 30 years, and because of that, along with cumbersome paperwork, we have lost active vets earlier than expected,” says Regele.

“Our main goal at this point is to have farmer-driven input returned to the program in some way, shape, or form. We need farmer input. With the vast area covered by VAP, there are many things that can happen that would require local representatives.”

Pirie says that wide consultations will continue in future program developments.

“It’s key to have a wide consultation. We want to cast our net as wide as possible to capture what farmers want,” says Pirie.

“What I mean when I say we are quite willing to fail forward is that the consultation will not stop. It is our goal to improve and make sure we are able to attract vets who will service large animals. Consultation will always be required and is not a ‘one and done’ thing.”

A spokesperson for the ministry adds, “The ministry will continue to welcome feedback from veterinarians, farmers, VSCs, NPAHN, and all agricultural associations. The changes made by the government aim to streamline and increase transparency of the program and attract more veterinary practices to northern and rural Ontario.”

Overall, broad consultation efforts will ensure that the future expansion of VAP reflects the needs of the industry, but NPAHN and VSCs have traditionally served as the points of contact for livestock producers and veterinarians. Going forward, the producer groups want more clarity on how the modernization will impact the grassroots organizations and to ensure there will still be someone to handle the day-to-day concerns of vet service demands.

Minister Pirie and the Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth plan to continue working toward solutions to the large-animal veterinarian shortage.

“We have nothing but opportunity to expand our economy in agriculture in our rural and northern communities,” says Pirie.

“We have to be able to capitalize on that potential, and we have a lot of work ahead of us, but this modernization of VAP is just a small part.” BF