A packed house was on hand February 11 as the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association welcomed members, friends and guests to the 2023 Membership Engagement and Awards Evening. The event was held to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the advancement of veterinary medicine in the Province of Manitoba.

Honorees for the evening included Dr. Kris Torske, the 2022 Veterinarian of the Year and 2022 Veterinary Technologist of the Year, Ms. Meaghan Wall.

Dr. Erin Ciwko received the Mentorship award with Certificates of Merit going to Drs. Pat Dorval and  Cathy Patterson.

The Association also awarded lifetime memberships to Dr. Timothy Gurnell, Dr. K. Paul Schneider, Dr. Robert Newfield and Dr. Gordon Goodridge.

The evening also included the presentation of an Honorary Membership to Mr. Jost am Rhyn, former executive director of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. While Mr. am Rhyn was unable to attend in person, he did send his thanks and appreciation via a video which can be viewed by clicking here.

All recipients were warmly received by the full house that attended the event held at the Ballroom of the Gates on Roblin in Headingley, MB.

“It was delightful to see so many members of the entire veterinary community come together for a day to celebrate the profession in Manitoba,” said MVMA past president Dr. Keri Hudson Reykdal, who served as the emcee of the awards program. “As was evident by the proceedings that there is much to celebrate and be proud of in our profession.”

The day – long affair included a Continuing Education session in addition to a Town Hall event that included an appearance by Dr. Chris Bell, president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association who is also a born and raised Manitoban.

“Once again, I would like to congratulate all recipients on receiving their respective awards,” Dr. Hudson Reykdal added. “As well, sincere thanks to everyone who turned out for the event! The support from the membership and the entire veterinary community was wonderful to see!”

The 2023 Membership Engagement and Awards Evening was proudly presented by Boehringer Ingelheim.

The next Membership Engagement event is slated for the summer of 2023. Stay tuned for details.

On behalf of the International Council for Veterinary Assessment’s (ICVA) Board of Directors, and Dr. Heather Case, ICVA CEO, MVMA would like to share information regarding the 2023 ICVA Assessment Development Committee (ADC) nominations. Current openings are for expertise in the Exotic Companion Animal, Small Ruminant, Poultry and Bovine – Dairy specialties. Below you will find 3 documents: an informational letter, a nomination form and the qualification list.

2023 ADC Nomination Letter

2023 ADC Qualifications

2023 ADC Nomination Form

A message from Manitoba Agriculture:

As we enter the summer season which may bring wildfires, storms and extreme heat, the following is a reminder of the general order of responsibilities when assistance is required:

Step 1

Producers/operators/community representatives/individuals are the first point of responsibility to deal with their own emergency situation.

 Step 2

If individuals cannot provide appropriate response to their emergency situation, their local municipality is the first point of contact for emergency-related information and assistance.

 Step 3

If the local municipality cannot handle the situation, the municipality will contact Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) for assistance. All municipalities should have EMO’s contact information. If EMO requires Agriculture’s assistance, they will assign an issue to the department’s Emergency Planning Leader, who then works with the department’s Executive Management Committee to direct activities to address the emergency.

If animals are in distress, please contact the Animal Care Line at 204-945-8000 (in Winnipeg);  1-888-945-8001 (toll free) or animalcare@gov.mb.ca.

Emergency preparedness and response resources

• Animal Health Emergency Preparedness
• Animal Care Line information and reporting
• Manitoba road closures
• Manitoba Hydro outages map
• Manitoba weather conditions
• Manitoba Basins Summer Conditions Report 2022
• Wildfire services
• Mental Health – Manitoba Farm, Rural, & Northern Support Services

Financial assistance resources

• Disaster Financial Assistance Program (DFA) – currently only applicable to 2022 spring blizzard/flooding
• Disaster Financial Assistance for Farm – currently only applicable to 2022 spring blizzard/flooding
• DFA Agricultural claim eligibility fact sheet – currently only applicable to 2022 spring blizzard/flooding
• AgriStability
• AgriInsurance
• Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation