AHEM is pleased to partner The Do More Agriculture Foundation in delivering a 1-hour live virtual webinar focused on mental health in agriculture.
When: March 21, 2023 (in english only)
Time: 9 AM PST/10 AM MST/11 AM CST/1 PM AST/1:30 PM NST

The workshop, delivered by Megz Reynolds, is designed to introduce participants to mental health in agriculture, highlight how to support ourselves and others, the importance of refilling our own cups and how to have conversations about mental health. This will be a “hands on” workshop with group exercises to engage participants and practice having conversations.

Visit www.animalhealth.ca/workshops today to register for the date that works best for you. There is no cost to attend!

The MVMA is delighted to pass on information about the 2022 Registered Veterinary Technologist Compensation Review. The MVMA supports the hard work of the MVTA and its partners in creating this report, which is sure to be helpful to veterinary technologists and their employers. The report and additional information can be located here.

Please join Manitoba Agriculture for an evening webinar on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Manitoba.

Whether you have a personal interest in feathery friends or treat a few small flocks in your practice, this webinar will be of interest to you! Dr. Deanne Wilkinson, Extension Veterinarian with Manitoba Agriculture, will be discussing many aspects of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, from disease history to outbreak mitigation strategies that practitioners can bring back to clients. The webinar will also provide an overview of the 2022 outbreak in Manitoba and insight into the disease outbreak process.

When: April 12, 2023 at 7:00pm – webinar will be recorded

Humane Canada, the representative of the animal welfare sector in our country, is inviting MVMA members to attend the 10^th edition of the Summit for Animals in Victoria, B.C., May 2 – 4.

This conference brings together animal welfare professionals, advocates and volunteers to learn cutting-edge information from thought leaders in the sector while building long-lasting professional connections that will help advance attendees’ advocacy efforts to benefit animals and their welfare. This year, there will be sessions on shelter medicine, such as “Caring for Kittens: Best Practices for Best Outcomes” by Dr. Elizabeth Berliner, Senior Director, Shelter Medicine Service, ASPCA, “Emergency triage for the whole team: Assessing urgency, patient stability, and prognosis” by Dr. Caitlin McLagan, Veterinarian and Medical Director, South Burnaby Veterinary Hospital, and “Care and Husbandry of Rabbits in the Shelter” by Dr. Markus Luckwaldt, Clinical Practitioner and Practice Owner, Greenwood Park Animal Hospital.

There are exclusive travel and accommodation discounts available to everyone who registers. To learn more, please visit https://humanecanada.swoogo.com/summit/summit or email events@humanecanada.ca

Please see information on the National Symposium on Agricultural Mental Health, hosted by the Guardian Network, in partnership with the Canadian Center for Agricultural Wellbeing being held on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Registration is now open.

The Symposium will offer networking opportunities, concurrent sessions, keynote and panel presentations, exhibitors and more, all focused on knowledge exchange to continue to enhance the quality of wellbeing for Canadian farmers. The one-day virtual symposium is being offered to you for FREE, paid for in part by the governments of Canada and Ontario through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

The National Symposium on Agricultural Mental Health has been established to connect farmer mental health groups, researchers, government officials and policy makers, members of Canada’s agricultural community, individual advocates, and most importantly farmers to address the challenges and opportunities of the farmer mental health movement across the country. The Symposium will give all participants an opportunity to discuss relevant topics, to hear from experts in our field and to learn from one another.

The Symposium will explore different aspects of this important movement including:

• sessions from Farmer wellness programs actively working across the country;
• current research involving Farmer mental health from several researchers; and
• various regional projects and trainings focused on agricultural well-being.

The Keynote Speaker is Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton, DVM, PhD. Dr. Jones-Bitton is trained as a veterinarian and is an epidemiologist, Professor in the Department of Population Medicine, and Director of Well-Being Programming at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. She conducts mixed-methods research on the epidemiology of mental health and resilience in the veterinary and agricultural sectors.

For your interest and information, please access the Symposium website for further details and to register at www.nsamh.ca .

Closed captioning will be available in English and French. All conference presentations will be in English with one being in French. Our conference platform will also be available to all registered attendees for three months following the conference so you may view all the workshops at your own leisure.

Good Customer Service Benefits All Customers, Two & Four Legged

Pets, fur babies, or four-legged family members positively affect the lives of people with disabilities in many ways. Pets provide companionship, help to establish routine, improve mental health, and encourage us to stay physically active.

Animals are also helpful for people with disabilities in official ways. When thinking of people with disabilities and animals, service animals often come to mind. Service animals are trained to assist a person with a disability in a way that relates to the person’s disability.

In the world of veterinary medicine, we witness the strong relationships between our patients and their humans (our customers) everyday. Improving accessibility for your customers, through the removal of barriers, at your practice is good for business. Accessibility barriers are obstacles that make it harder for people with disabilities to participate fully in every day life and can prevent them from accessing much needed services.

Ensuring your business is barrier-free means that all people have the same opportunity to access goods and services. If your practice is barrier-free you will not only attract and retain customers with disabilities, you will also attract their friends and family to your practice.

Manitoba has regulated the Accessible Customer Service Standard under The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA). The Accessibility Standard for Customer Service requires your practice to introduce policies, practices, and measures to:

1. Meet the communication needs of customers experiencing barriers.
2. Accommodate the use of assistive devices, such as wheelchairs and oxygen tanks.
3. Welcome support persons.
4. Allow service animals in areas where the public is generally permitted.
5. Maintain existing accessibility features, such as ramps and power doors.
6. Let the public know when and why an accessibility feature will be unavailable.
7. Welcome and respond promptly to feedback related to accessibility.
8. Provide the required training to employees, volunteers, and management.
9. If your practice has 50 or more employees, keep a written record of your accessibility and training policies and make them available upon request.

The Accessibility Standard for Customer Service does not require changes to the built environment. In Manitoba, The Building Code enforces accessibility requirements on new builds or ones undergoing significant renovations.  Although this is the case, the accessibility standard for customer service does require that any existing accessibility features, such as ramps or power doors, be maintained to be used as intended. If a feature is temporarily unavailable, the standard requires you to let the public know when and why it will be unavailable and include information on when the feature will be back in service. It also requires you to let the public know if there are alternative ways to access your goods and services, while the feature is unavailable.

The Manitoba government has resources in place to assist businesses, including veterinary practices, to meet regulated accessibility standards. Resources available to your practice include:

• Manitoba Accessibility Office (MAO)
• The MAO website contains many different tools to support accessibility and resources to help your practice meet accessibility standards. Visit ca to learn more.
• The MAO has an online training portal to help Manitoba employers and organizations meet the training requirements outlined by the accessibility standards.
• Accessibility News is an electronic newsletter published by the MAO to help keep Manitobans informed about accessibility across the province. Subscribe to Accessibility News to stay current with information you need to know about accessibility laws in Manitoba and why accessibility is important for everyone.
• Manitoba Accessibility Fund (MAF)
• This is a new grant program designed to distribute funding to businesses, municipalities, professional associations, and non-profit organizations in Manitoba to help remove barriers encountered by people with disabilities and to promote accessibility.
• Over 100 organizations across Manitoba applied to MAF during the first intake held in spring 2022.
• The 2023/24 MAF Application Guidelines describe the scope, eligibility, assessment criteria, and selection process. The next intake opens on January 30, 2023. Visit ca to learn more about MAF and to apply.
• Accessibility Compliance Secretariat (ACS)
• The Secretariat can answer questions and address concerns related to compliance with The Accessibility for Manitobans Act and the accessibility standards.
• If your practice is required or decides to write a policy that meets accessibility standards, the Secretariat can review your policy and offer feedback.
• Staff at the Secretariat can share helpful tools and resources to assist your organization to increase service accessibility and comply with accessibility standards. To contact the Accessibility Compliance Secretariat, email accessibilitycompliance@gov.mb.ca.

Most solutions to remove barriers will be simple and your customers will appreciate the consideration. If you notice that someone is having difficulty accessing your services, a good starting point is to ask: How can I help you?

CAHSS and the Western Canadian Animal Health Network (WeCAHN) are organizing course in upcoming months called “Small flock poultry course for veterinarians and veterinary staff”. Please click here to see the poster for more information and the registration link. The course is intended for veterinarians, veterinary students, animal health technicians, and veterinary staff only.

The Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association welcomes all members to the 2023 MVMA Membership Engagement and Awards Night! In addition to the awards dinner, the event will feature a Continuing Education component along with a Town Hall, all held at the Gates on Roblin in Headingley, MB.

The 5 W’s of the Event:

• Who: Members and guests of the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association.
• Where: The Gates on Roblin – 6945 Roblin Blvd, Headingley, MB
• What:
  • Awards Evening: 5:30 – 8:30 pm
  • Continuing Education: 4:30 – 5:30 pm
  • Town Hall: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm.
• When: Saturday, February 11, 2023.
• Why: To mark individual and collective achievement and advancement of the veterinary profession in Manitoba.

A limited number of tickets are available and will be distributed on a first–come, first–served basis.

Veterinarians: $50 Veterinary Technologists: $25 Guests: $25

Click here to secure your tickets now!

Limited Tickets Still Available for Membership Engagement and Awards Evening & Dinner

The deadline is quickly approaching! Friday, February 3 will be the last day to secure tickets to the 2023 Membership Engagement and Awards Evening & Dinner taking place at the Gates on Roblin in Headingley, Manitoba. Click here for the event landing page.

The day will include a Continuing Education session, delivered by courtesy of Amy Oliver and Company, along with a community Town Hall, an informal discussion surrounding current and hot button issues facing the profession today. Click here for an outline of the CE program.

Both events will precede the awards dinner that will begin at roughly 5:30 and will include a full course meal and complementary bar service.

All is included with your ticket to the event – $50 for veterinarians, $25 for vet technicians, students and other guests. Group rates are also available at a discount. Tickets and additional information are available at the event landing page by clicking here. A limited number remains.

The event is proudly presented by Boehringer Ingelheim.

Ultrasonography and Embryo Transfer Workshops are being conducted in tandem May 5-10, 2023, at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan with the intention of providing essential knowledge and hands-on experience for veterinary practitioners, research scientists and graduate students.  The Ultrasound Workshop is a three-day course covering principles of ultrasonography equipment and imaging, imaging of the reproductive tract in large animals and OPU/IVF.  The Embryo Transfer Workshop is a three- and half–day course covering all aspects of embryo transfer technology in cattle.  For more information and to register, please visit: https://wcvm.usask.ca/education/ultrasound.php