By Steve Hubrecht
The Columbia Valley has a new veterinarian clinic and Canal Flats has a brand new business.
That’s a big plus for the village and a big plus for anyone who owns a horse, cow, dog or cat that needs medical attention.
For quite some time, the upper part of the Columbia Valley has had just one vet clinic — the Invermere Veterinary Hospital — serving the many animals that get hurt. To make things even busier, nearby Golden was without a vet clinic for a number of years, and anyone in Golden needing a vet had to come to Invermere.
But the situation changed on Friday, June 21, when the Columbia Valley Veterinary Clinic held a grand opening at its new facility on Thunder Hill Road in Canal Flats (on the southwest side of Highway 93/95).
It may be a new business, but clinic owner Dr. Sarah Ort has already lived in Canal Flats and has been a vet in the valley for several years.
Ort grew up in Ontario near Tillsonburg (yes, the same Tillsonburg made famous by the hit 1971 Stompin’ Tom Connors country song).
“I had a love of animals since I was young,” Ort told the Pioneer. “But I wasn’t one of those people who always knew they wanted to be a vet. I was drawn to the medical industry, but wasn’t initially sure if I wanted to work with humans in a medical context or with animals.”
After finishing university, Ort moved across the country to British Columbia, living with an aunt in Coquitlam while volunteering at a vet clinic. She found that she loved B.C. and loved helping animals.
“It was extremely rewarding to work on so many different species,” she said.
PHOTO SYD DANIS
Ort returned to Ontario to attend the Ontario Veterinary Clinic. While there she volunteered at a large veterinary intensive care unit. It was interesting work, but after graduating Ort moved back to B.C., taking a job with the Steeples Veterinary Clinic in Cranbrook.
There she met her partner, who manages Columbia Lake Ranch, located on the west side of Columbia Lake between Fairmont Hot Springs and Canal Flats. As the relationship grew more serious, Ort got tired of commuting an hour each way between the Columbia Valley and Cranbrook and decided to move to Canal Flats.
“I used to think Tillsonburg (population 18,000) was a small town. Then I moved to Canal Flats,” recalled Ort, laughing. “But I love the atmosphere in Canal Flats. It’s very friendly here, there’s mountains and Columbia Lake — the quieter lake in the Columbia Valley — is right there.”
She took a job with the Invermere Veterinary Clinic, then later launched her own mobile veterinarian business, which saw her visiting clients and animals at their own homes, farms and ranches.
“If you are a vet in a rural area, such as here in the Columbia Valley, you are dealing with new cases all the time. You are constantly learning,” said Ort.
“When you are far from veterinary emergency and referral clinics, as we are here, you have to learn to do many different things, interesting surgeries, and you have to learn to think outside the box . . . the medicine is fascinating.”
Ort decided a while ago to transition from being a home-visit vet to building her own facility. Getting all the right permits took some time, but ever since the grand opening the Columbia Valley Veterinary Clinic has been busy, helping pet owners and farmers with cats, dogs, horses, cattle, and small ruminants (such as goats and sheep) in distress.
“Everyone is super excited. The community here in Canal Flats has been supportive,” said Ort, noting that the Columbia Valley has been short of qualified vets for some time, and there’s definitely demand for more.
She plans to eventually grow the Columbia Valley Veterinary Clinic to include four veterinarians, and has built the facility accordingly.
It’s a 4,000 square foot space, with soaring high ceilings, plenty of natural light and recycled wood incorporated into the building material. It’s part of a purposeful effort to creating a welcoming atmosphere and a positive work culture.
The vet business can “sometimes be a stressful job,” with long hours, occasionally challenging conditions and having to break bad news to clients who have lost their animals, said Ort.
“There can be a lot of burnout and compassion fatigue in the industry, so there is really a push to create open and positive social and physical environments. The whole industry is trending in that direction. That’s what we are aiming for with the Columbia Valley Veterinary Clinic: growth in the direction of purpose. Happy staff in a happy facility results in better care for animals.”
To find out more visit www.columbiavalleyvet.com.
PHOTO SYD DANIS
