There were 39 official complaints in 2021 — an increase from 27 in 2020 and nearly eight times the five complaints in 2016, according to the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association report, which was released in May. The association’s secretary, Corey Wilson, says the regulator was prompted to begin posting annual disciplinary and complaint reports on its website after a CBC News report in October 2021 about a veterinarian whose license was suspended for alleged drug abuse . That story noted that data on complaints in Manitoba had not been released at the time. The decision to release that data, which aligns Manitoba’s union with neighboring Ontario and Saskatchewan, was welcome news to some. Manitoba’s veterinary regulator has been “a little behind the times and I think they’re just catching up,” said Kim Gibson, president of the non-profit Association of Professional Pet Groomers of Manitoba. “I think transparency in any field is the way to go,” he said. “Pet owners are becoming more educated. They’re becoming more discerning. They want to know what’s going on, and this is one way to make that happen.”
Pandemic pet care behind closed doors
Wilson says the increase in complaints may be partly because the public is more aware of the veterinary regulator and its complaint process. Other veterinary regulators across Canada have seen a similar increase in complaints and believe the pandemic may be the reason, he said. Gibson said that during the pandemic restrictions, pet owners were often not allowed to attend veterinary visits – so she was not surprised by the increase in complaints. “I don’t think they trusted what was going on behind closed doors as much as they usually do,” said Gibson, who is also president of the Canadian Professional Pet Stylist Association, which certifies dog groomers. “When you give your animals to someone, even though they’re a professional, you always wonder what’s going on.” Kim Gibson, president of the Professional Pet Groomers Association of Manitoba, says pet owners want more information about the veterinary profession. (Submitted by Kim Gibson) Wilson was unable to provide a breakdown of the subject areas of the complaints, such as quality of care or pricing and financing issues. This is an issue the pet groomers association president would like to see addressed. “The main complaint I hear when dealing with pet owners is that everything is so expensive and they’re just trying to get more money out of you,” Gibson said. “Even the vets that my pet owners trust, they think, ‘Oh, I think you did it for the money.’ I think that’s just the way owners are starting to feel these days.”
1 complaint referred for investigation, 23 dismissed
Manitoba currently has 458 licensed veterinarians and 435 registered veterinary technologists regulated by the veterinary association. The regulator’s report shows that of the 39 complaints, 32 were resolved in 2021. Five cases were resolved by agreement, meaning the complaints committee made an agreement with a veterinarian or vet technologist to address the concerns raised, Wilson said. Two complaints resulted in a member being advised, two resulted in a formal warning and 23 were expelled. Wilson says cases can be dismissed if the conduct involved is outside the regulator’s purview or if there is insufficient evidence that the member violated the Veterinary Medicine Act or the association’s regulations or code of ethics. One complaint was referred for investigation. The MVMA says 23 complaints were dismissed last year for reasons such as insufficient evidence or that the conduct in the complaint is outside the association’s purview. (Vera-Lynn Kubinec/CBC) He was unable to determine the number of cases related to categories of animals such as pets, livestock or equines, but says the vast majority of complaints involve companion animals. The shortage of veterinarians is also an issue affecting the profession and animal owners. Wilson says a survey of private veterinary clinics in Manitoba showed that as of May, there were at least 68 full-time equivalent positions for veterinarians that would need to be filled just to meet the demand in private practice.
