A Quebec bursary program aimed at encouraging veterinary students to consider livestock medicine will be sweetened for those planning a rural practice.
Provincial Agriculture Minister Pierre Corbeil on Wednesday announced that on top of the $10,000 bursary already offered, veterinary students who choose to practice in more remote regions of Quebec can be eligible for another award of $15,000.
The program, first announced in February last year with $5,000 and $10,000 bursaries, requires students to be enrolled in a fourth of fifth year of university study, respectively, and registered for the doctorate program in the University of Montreal’s faculty of veterinary medicine at St-Hyacinthe.
Read Also
Mexico reports 53 per cent increase in flesh-eating screwworm cases since July
Mexico has recorded 5,086 cases of flesh-eating screwworm in animals as of August 17, a 53 per cent jump from the number of cases reported in July, according to Mexican government data seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
An applicant also needs to state his or her intention to steer a veterinary career toward work with food animals, the province said.
Given veterinarians’ contribution to animal and public health and agrifood safety, the bursary program is considered a “concrete gesture” toward development of the ag industry in all regions of the province, Corbeil said in a release.
As the province noted last February and again Wednesday, statistics from Quebec’s veterinary medical association show a significant number of veterinarians plan to retire within the next three years — thus the ministry said it aims to provide a succession plan for veterinary service in all regions.
This year’s deadline for veterinary students to apply for the provincial bursary is March 15.
