Province invests in spay and neuter services, animal welfare

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The province is investing $200,000 to the Winnipeg Humane Society to run mobile spay and neutering clinics and supply food and supplies for animals in need, it was announced Thursday.

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As well, the Manitoba government is strengthening Manitoba Agriculture’s Animal Health and Welfare branch with the creation of a new provincial veterinarian position focused on animal welfare, and launching the Northern and Remote Veterinary Care Initiative.

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“Our government is committed to working with communities and pet owners to provide more opportunities to access veterinary services and help address the need for more spay and neuter services in northern, rural and Indigenous communities,” said Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn in a press release. “We have committed to expanding mobile spay and neuter services, and these initiatives are just the start of that commitment.”

The Northern and Remote Veterinary Care Initiative will include the creation of the provincial veterinarian for animal welfare, who will lead Manitoba’s animal welfare program. This position will complement the work of the existing chief veterinary officer who will now focus on the health of both commercial and companion animals, Kostyshyn said.

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“Manitoba’s rural, northern and Indigenous communities want to access veterinary services,” said Indigenous Economic Development Minister Ian Bushie. “This additional funding will help increase mobile spay and neutering services to communities that currently do not have access to these important services.”

The Northern and Remote Veterinary Care initiative also includes $100,000 in funding to the One Health Program to enhance mobile spay and neuter clinics in northern and remote communities.

“We are thankful for the gift of $100,000, and the Winnipeg Humane Society is looking forward to further discussions about expanding our One Health Program with additional funding from the province,” said Jessica Miller, Winnipeg Humane Society CEO. “We actively fundraise year-round to support programs and services to add much-needed reach and access to veterinary care in Manitoba. We look forward to working with the province to put Manitoba on the map in terms of progressive and accessible care. We are committed to delivering community-led care to keep both people and their animals safe.”

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An additional $100,000 to the Winnipeg Humane Society will be used to support the efforts of Feed the Furbabies Canada in its work to support spay and neutering clinics and supply food and supplies for animals in need across Manitoba, Kostyshyn said.

“We are so thankful for this support. These funds will be used to help broaden access to critical resources, like veterinary care, for pet owners across Manitoba,” said Kareena Grywinski, executive director of Feed the Furbabies Canada. “We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to further discussions and partnerships with the province.”

The One Health Program was developed to build trust, learn, co-create and deliver community-engaged programming. The focus of One Health is the link between animal and human health and well-being. The program delivers a series of both external northern, remote and internal clinics that offer a variety of services to both human and animals that were previously lacking access. In 2023, 25 mobile clinics were held in 21 northern, remote and Indigenous communities.

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