British ColumbiaThe results are in from the fee increase vote held by the College of Veterinarians of B.C. to prevent it from facing insolvency in 2026.College held vote on increasing annual fees as it faced more than $1 million deficitMichelle Morton · CBC News · Posted: Sep 06, 2025 1:02 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoNanaimo, B.C.-based veterinarian Karissa Mitchell examines a feline client in a file photo from 2022. (Michael McArthur/CBC)The province’s regulatory body of veterinarians will continue to operate after registrants voted over the summer to increase their annual fees.In July, the College of Veterinarians of B.C. warned it was facing insolvency by May 2026 as it saw more than a $1 million deficit, and to prevent that from happening, asked members to vote on increasing fees. The results were published on the college’s website on Tuesday, and show that between July 28 and Aug. 29, 36 per cent of the 2,595 eligible registrants voted: 54.4 per cent were in favour of increasing fees, while 44.6 per cent were not, and one person abstained.Vets pay a variety of fees to work in the province and this is the first time in 14 years they have voted on increasing the amounts, according to the college, which previously said members had voted against increases three times since 2011 — in 2012, 2019, and 2023.CBC News reached out to the college for comment, but did not hear back by deadline. The college previously said it would not speak on the record, citing a policy to deny media interviews.Society of B.C. Veterinarians [SBCV] board member Marco Veenis said he was disappointed by the low voter turnout. “I can’t speak, you know, for those who haven’t voted, but I would encourage them… next time to also let their vote be heard,” he said.Veenis, who’s a verterinarian, said he voted yes “to make sure that the college is operational and has the funds to ensure [its] mandate, which is to protect the public interest.”The college’s financial statements show a cumulative deficit of nearly $1.2 million at the end of its 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, however, in the two years before that, it had a budget surplus of nearly half a million dollars. A note in the 2023-2024 annual report explains that the deficit was due to an “increase in costs.”WATCH | B.C. veterinarians vote on college fees: College of Veterinarians of B.C. facing possible insolvency in 2026The regulatory body of veterinarians in B.C. says it’s facing possible insolvency in 2026, unless its members vote to increase fees by the end of the month. But as the CBC’s Michelle Morton reports, concerns are now being raised about how vets’ registration money is being spent, and what oversight could look like if the College of Veterinarians of B.C. stops operating.B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham told CBC News last month that she directed the college to hold the fee vote after learning about its financial struggles.Popham said before ordering the referendum, she tried to help stabilize the college’s financial situation earlier this year by issuing a ministerial order requiring veterinarians to pay the organization a one-time $500 fee.Moving forward, Veenis said he would like the SBCV to work more closely with the college to understand where the money from the fees is being spent. “What we would like to do is have an open communication with the college,” Veenis said, “to find out why we have all these extra levies over the last year.”In a statement Friday, Popham said she’s confident in the voting decision, and that “the college and veterinarians will build and regulate a strong profession so they can continue providing that much needed support in the future.”ABOUT THE AUTHORMichelle Morton is a multi-platform journalist with CBC Vancouver and you can contact her by emailing michelle.morton@cbc.ca.
B.C. vets vote in favour of paying higher fees to prevent their oversight body from insolvency
