Veterinary college still waiting on funding

The Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown and provinces in the Atlantic region are still trying to negotiate a new funding agreement for the college.

The college is supported by all four Atlantic provinces. The last agreement ran out in April 2011.

Newfoundland and Labrador officials say that province's portion of the funding agreement is being evaluated as part of its regular budget preparations. There are three seats at the vet college allocated for students from Newfoundland.

'They have always come to the plate.' — AVC dean Dr. Don Reynolds

AVC dean Dr. Don Reynolds is optimistic a new deal will be reached, even though some provinces are feeling a financial crunch.

"If you are a naysayer and a worry wart, and you are pessimistic and you keep yourself up at night on that kind of stuff, you are really going to get concerned," said Reynolds.

"I'm not that way. I'm more of an optimist. They might say, 'Well we'll go for three years or maybe we'll just go year by year.' Two years, or whatever. We don't know. And we are happy and they have always come to the plate."

Reynolds noted multi-year agreements allow for better long term planning.

Students at the vet college now who pay their tuition and have good grades are in no danger of having to leave the college, he said, regardless of whether the provincial funding agreement is in place yet or not.