Supporting People, Patients, Planet
At VetStrategy, our colleagues are united in delivering our purpose of Healthy Animals, Happy Owners. To achieve this, we work to keep three promises: our people promise to be a great place to work; our customer promise of world-class veterinary care, delivered locally; and our sustainability promise to be a force for good, embodied in our Positive Pawprint strategy.
Across the country, our practice teams organize donation drives, host in-clinic fundraisers, hold educational events, work closely with local charities supporting animals, and help pets find loving homes. We are also working to decrease our environmental impact through national and local initiatives and are committed to making a difference in diversity, equity and inclusion.
Together, alongside our colleagues across IVC Evidensia we share a commitment to become not only the best veterinary group in the world, but also the best veterinary group for the world. Read our 2024 Positive Pawprint Report to learn more about the impacts being made across the globe.
We support Canadian organizations working to improve the lives of people from coast to coast.
150 practices in the VetStrategy network joined forces for our Holiday Donation Drive in December 2024, donating over $13,174 and collecting 20,301 lbs of non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, toys and pet supplies for community organizations.
In April 2024, Support Office team members joined in to support local food banks and social service agencies with more than 500 collective volunteer hours, sorting food and making meals for clients from coast to coast.
Aleks’ Promise is a national program to address mental health and limit stressors impacting animal health professionals daily. Created in honour of Cobequid Animal Hospital (Nova Scotia) team member Aleksander Kristensen, we will continue to support practices each May in honour of Mental Health Week and Aleks’ birthday with external resources and internal supports.
From 2023 to 2024, 52 colleagues were trained in Mental Health First Aid. We have also offered organization-wide learning opportunities focused on improved mental wellbeing.
Through various initiatives such as Employee Resource Groups, inclusive policies, and signage in our clinics and hospitals, we aspire to make our organization and each of our practices a welcoming and safe place for everyone.
In May 2024, VetStrategy received Rainbow Registered accreditation from Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), a testament to our commitment to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for the 2SLGBTQIA community.
Eligible part-time and full-time practice team members are provided with paid time and funds to access continuing education opportunities.
Our Employee Assistance Program provides support to team members and their eligible dependants related to mental, financial, physical and emotional wellbeing.
All VetStrategy employees are eligible to participate in the Group Retirement and Savings Plan, which consists of employee contributions to a RRSP or TFSA plan, and employer contributions to a deferred profit-sharing plan (subject to eligibility and plan maximum rules).
Our hospital teams organize donation drives and host various in-clinic fundraisers to raise funds to support charities in communities across Canada. Since 2018, Gander Veterinary Clinic’s (Gander, NL) orange tabby Denny has hosted “Denny’s Café” where team members and clients purchase coffee and sweets, benefiting the Gander and Area SPCA. Hosted annually every October, Denny’s Café recently raised $500 in support of local animals in need.
We support Canadian organizations working to improve the lives of people from coast to coast.
150 practices in the VetStrategy network joined forces for our Holiday Donation Drive in December 2024, donating over $13,174 and collecting 20,301 lbs of non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, toys and pet supplies for community organizations.
In April 2024, Support Office team members joined in to support local food banks and social service agencies with more than 500 collective volunteer hours, sorting food and making meals for clients from coast to coast.
Aleks’ Promise is a national program to address mental health and limit stressors impacting animal health professionals daily. Created in honour of Cobequid Animal Hospital (Nova Scotia) team member Aleksander Kristensen, we will continue to support practices each May in honour of Mental Health Week and Aleks’ birthday with external resources and internal supports.
From 2023 to 2024, 52 colleagues were trained in Mental Health First Aid. We have also offered organization-wide learning opportunities focused on improved mental wellbeing.
Through various initiatives such as Employee Resource Groups, inclusive policies, and signage in our clinics and hospitals, we aspire to make our organization and each of our practices a welcoming and safe place for everyone.
In May 2024, VetStrategy received Rainbow Registered accreditation from Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), a testament to our commitment to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for the 2SLGBTQIA community.
Eligible part-time and full-time practice team members are provided with paid time and funds to access continuing education opportunities.
Our Employee Assistance Program provides support to team members and their eligible dependants related to mental, financial, physical and emotional wellbeing.
All VetStrategy employees are eligible to participate in the Group Retirement and Savings Plan, which consists of employee contributions to a RRSP or TFSA plan, and employer contributions to a deferred profit-sharing plan (subject to eligibility and plan maximum rules).
Our hospital teams organize donation drives and host various in-clinic fundraisers to raise funds to support charities in communities across Canada. Since 2018, Gander Veterinary Clinic’s (Gander, NL) orange tabby Denny has hosted “Denny’s Café” where team members and clients purchase coffee and sweets, benefiting the Gander and Area SPCA. Hosted annually every October, Denny’s Café recently raised $500 in support of local animals in need.
From 2023 to 2024, we supported 20 BIPOC veterinary students with a one year $5,000 diversity bursary and career support from our Talent Acquisition team. Since 2022, we have partnered with the Université de Montréal, where we are supporting 3 BIPOC veterinary students yearly.
We’re proud to support these students as they begin their training in the veterinary profession and wish them all the best.
Established in 2012, OSCAR stands for “Offering Subsidized Care for Animal Recovery” providing hospitals the opportunity to support pets in their community. As part of this initiative to help pets, our entire clinic team plays a part in both fundraising and determining patients for support.
Our clinics support multiple local rescue and non-profit organizations by hosting spay and neuter clinics, nail trim clinics and other special events to raise funds.
Amherstview Pet Hospital and Cataraqui Pet Hospital in Kingston, Ontario host monthly nail trim clinics, where funds raised support local organizations like the Ontario SPCA Lennox & Addington Animal Centre.
National Cupcake Day took place in communities across the country in February 2024. From coast to coast, 30 practices participated to “bake a difference” and collectively raised $18,000 to support their local SPCA or charity supporting animals in need.
Established in 2012, OSCAR stands for “Offering Subsidized Care for Animal Recovery” providing hospitals the opportunity to support pets in their community. As part of this initiative to help pets, our entire clinic team plays a part in both fundraising and determining patients for support.
Our clinics support multiple local rescue and non-profit organizations by hosting spay and neuter clinics, nail trim clinics and other special events to raise funds.
Amherstview Pet Hospital and Cataraqui Pet Hospital in Kingston, Ontario host monthly nail trim clinics, where funds raised support local organizations like the Ontario SPCA Lennox & Addington Animal Centre.
National Cupcake Day took place in communities across the country in February 2024. From coast to coast, 30 practices participated to “bake a difference” and collectively raised $18,000 to support their local SPCA or charity supporting animals in need.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, many practices hold nail trim marathons to raise funds for local women’s charities. From 2022 to 2024, clinics have raised over $24,000 to support charities in communities across Canada.
We are working to minimize our waste footprint, with a goal to reduce landfill waste and increase recycling. In Québec, Clinique Vétérinaire Cowansville has placed compost bins throughout the clinic to deposit items such as paper towels and food scraps and estimate they have reduced their waste by 25%.
We are working with sustainability experts to identify opportunities for energy efficiencies across our clinics, focusing on renewable energy sources. In 2024, 70 practices in Ontario were retrofitted with LED technology, with further improvements to come in other parts of the country.
Reducing Delivery Impacts
In 2024, 343 practices transitioned to a fixed delivery schedule, reducing average delivery frequency from 3.53 times per week to 2.83 times per week.
Jocelyn has been working hard to reduce her practice’s waste! She has implemented a pill bottle recycling program where owners can bring back their bottles to get them refilled at a discounted price. She has also switched how the hospital measures how much of a controlled substance is left by using a scale instead of a fresh syringe and needle.
Read more about Jocelyn’s waste reduction initiatives here: https://fal.cn/3qL5Q
