VICTORIA, B.C. – British Columbia’s 1,200 veterinarians will have an updated Veterinarians Act next year, putting them on the same page as their counterparts in Alberta and Ontario.
Legislation first enacted in 1907 has been amended infrequently over the last century, leaving B.C. vets with a document that they say doesn’t adequately address disclosure, privacy and discipline.
“The statute is quite antiquated,” said Valerie Osborne, registrar for the B.C. Veterinary Medical Association (BCVMA).
“It’s very deficient in modern regulatory powers. We have asked for law reform to bring us in step with other provinces.”
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Alberta’s Veterinary Profession Act has a broad chapter devoted to professional conduct that deals with such specific sections as bias prevention.
B.C.’s act has no such categories.
Ontario’s Veterinarians Act addresses drugs and conflict of interest, but B.C.’s legislation doesn’t, even though vets have unparalleled access to drugs, Osborne said.
She said her association needs a document that sets out fair guidelines, particularly when it comes to discipline.
Under the current legislation, members who are the subject of an inquiry can appeal only if they have been suspended or had their licence revoked.
Osborne said suspension of vets also needs to be clarified.
“Most regulatory bodies have authority to suspend if a member is facing a disciplinary hearing. We can’t suspend a member.”
She said the act also isn’t explicit about what should or should not be revealed to the public. Currently, the association discloses the identity and results of a hearing only if the results are significant. A new statute will set out clear instructions as to what can be made public, and when.
“We’re trying to do the responsible thing, balancing the right of the public to know with the rights of the veterinarian,” Osborne said.
Newly elected association president Dr. Ray Snopek agreed B.C.’s act is weak, which is why the organization has lobbied the agriculture ministry for years to make changes.
Transparency to the public has to be weighed against members’ rights, Snopek said. The public should be told once a decision has been made, he added.
He said his top concern with the act involves inquiries.
“We need to be able to collect the full cost of inquiry proceedings when a vet is found in misconduct,” Snopek said.
Vets now pay 20 percent of the costs of an inquiry, even if they are found guilty of misconduct. The association pays the rest.
Snopek said the association wants the guilty party to pay the full costs similar to other professions.
Such charges can be $10,000 to $500,000, he added.
Snopek said he also wants a revamped act to better protect members like himself who are serving the association. Volunteers and staff sometimes come under attack and need assurance that they will be protected from prosecution.
