Province antes up $47 million for vet school

The province has come up with $47 million for a new veterinary college at the University of Calgary, days after the dean quit because of the politics around the project.

Peter Eyre, recruited from the United States to get the school off the ground, said there was too much bureaucracy and it would prevent the college from opening as planned in the fall of 2006.

In the wake of his resignation, university officials said promised provincial funding had yet to come through. The U of C's vet college will be the only one in the province, and only the fifth in the country.

Advanced Education Minister Dave Hancock, in announcing the funding over the weekend, denied the money was connected to the airing of problems around creating the school.

The U of C college will specialize in vets that deal with large animals, such as livestock. Most veterinarians graduate with the intent to work with small animals.

"We have a need for more interest in rural veterinarians," Hancock said. "Essentially, you're talking about people who can do large animal veterinarians. Much of what we see now is people who are graduating doing small animal clinics, essentially urban vets."

The college is now expected to open in September 2007.