Expanding the Circle of Care: Building Animal-Health Equity in Northern Ontario

By Charmaine Brett, President & CEO, Ontario SPCA & Humane Society 

As I visit Thunder Bay this week, I’m reminded how deeply people and animals are connected, and how urgent it is that access to veterinary care reach every corner of our province. 

Northern Ontario is vast 144 municipalities, 106 First Nations and more than 150 unincorporated communities, many reachable only by air or seasonal roads. Yet this same geography creates real risk. In 2025, Ontario recorded multiple wildlife-rabies detections in its far-north, including three Arctic-fox-variant cases along the James Bay coast. (OAHN) A single animal carrying rabies can ripple through an entire community,  triggering human post-exposure prophylaxis, costly evacuations, days of lost labour and schooling, and a strain on limited public-health resources. 

When animal health falters, human and community health follow. 

These are caring, dedicated communities that want to do the right thing for their animals, but limited access makes it increasingly difficult. Families often travel hundreds of kilometres for basic veterinary care. In Northern Ontario’s 25-30 fly-in communities, an animal health emergency can mean chartering a plane, finding lodging, and leaving behind work, classrooms, and caregiving, real economic losses that prevention can avoid. 

Prevention is not only humane, but also cost-effective. Investing in vaccination, spay/neuter access and basic first-aid training prevents expensive crises that strain both families and public budgets. A dollar spent on prevention saves many more in avoided evacuations and medical response. 

That’s why the Manitoba Community Vaccinator Program has become such an inspiring example. The Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association’s Community Vaccinator Training Manual (2024) outlines how trained community members, under veterinary supervision, can safely administer rabies and core vaccines in remote and underserved areas. The program’s success shows what’s possible when trust, training and teamwork come together. By equipping local volunteers and technicians with essential skills like safe vaccine handling, restraint, and animal first aid, Manitoba has helped protect both people and animals, bringing veterinary access where it’s needed most. 

Ontario can learn from that leadership. We have the talent and partnerships to do the same: pairing training, technology and trust to extend the reach of care. Through simple but impactful measures, like teaching animal first aid, basic wound care, parasite prevention and safe vaccination practices, we can empower Northern communities to respond early, confidently and compassionately. 

Much has been said about Canada’s shortage of veterinarians, but another part of the story needs equal attention: the shortage of Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs). For every veterinarian, it takes at least two RVTs to deliver safe, effective care. Without them, the system simply cannot meet the needs of animals or the communities who rely on them. 

That’s why the partnership between Seneca Polytechnic / Confederation College, which is hoping to expand its RVT program, and Lakehead University, launching its northern-cohort Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, is such an important step forward. Together, these institutions are building a team-based model for animal health, one that trains veterinarians and RVTs side by side to serve both urban and remote communities. 

These students will not only learn in classrooms but gain hands-on clinical experience with organizations like the Ontario SPCA & Humane Society where practical outreach, community vaccination events, and mobile clinics provide the skills and empathy needed for northern practice. 

When we talk about access to care, we are really talking about equity ensuring that every community, no matter how remote, has access to the same standard of compassion and health. Expanding access isn’t about replacing veterinarians it’s about expanding the circle of care: empowering teams, training locally, linking through tele-veterinary support, and working alongside Indigenous and municipal partners to protect the shared health of people, animals and the environment. 

As we continue to scale our presence in Northern Ontario, the Ontario SPCA is committed to working with academic partners, Indigenous leadership, government, and other animal-health organizations to design a model rooted in compassion, collaboration and sustainability. 

Animal health is not a silo it’s a pillar of community resilience. 

By investing in prevention, practical training and partnerships, we can ensure that every community and every animal has a fair chance at health, stability and hope.