Pets, Professors, and Politicians

The Founding and Early Years of the Atlantic Veterinary College

by Marian Bruce

The story of the Atlantic Veterinary College goes back to the early 1970s, when Canada-wide staffing forecasts for veterinarians called for more veterinarians, and more capacity to train them. But how to address that need — and, more importantly, where — turned into nearly two decades of wrangling, controversy, and negotiations among federal and provincial politicians, government officials, and academics. Finally, on June 3, 1983, the deal to build the AVC at the University of Prince Edward Island was signed.

With a cast of colourful characters featuring the Hon. Eugene Whelan, federal Minister of Agriculture, and several Atlantic premiers, including PEI's Alex Campbell and Jim Lee, Nova Scotia's John Buchanan, and New Brunswick's Richard Hatfield, Pets, Professors, and Politicians tells the story of the AVC, from its earliest beginnings to the present day. Full of stories and photos of people — and, of course, animals — this book is a modern-day David and Goliath story.

Pets, Professors, and Politicians is a lively, intelligent, probing retelling of the history of the Atlantic Veterinary College. It is a fascinating account, and not just to those whose lives and careers have been bound up with the AVC. The book brims with interesting people doing interesting things: veterinarians, politicians, administrators, teachers, students, technicians, researchers — even a few animals. The tale of its founding, a saga stretching over 15 years, with more twists and turns than a suspense novel, is a must-read for anyone interested in the politics of higher education in Canada. And the story is surpassingly well-told. Marian Bruce combines the narrative gifts of a born storyteller with the skilled journalist's sense that the "story" resides in people as much as events. Her abiding concern for character and motivation parallels the brisk chronicle of bricks and mortar, programs and products, trends and impacts. Institutional history is often as instructive as this and occasionally as judicious, but it is seldom so colourful>

— From the Foreword by Edward MacDonald

About the Author

The author, Marian Bruce, was born on a farm in Prince Edward Island, and has worked as a writer and editor on magazines and newspapers in cities across Canada. She has written, edited, and/or collaborated on a number of books, including Making It Home: Memoirs of J. Angus MacLean (Ragweed Press, 1999), Working Together: Two Centuries of Co-operation in Prince Edward Island (Island Studies Press, 2004), and A Century of Excellence: Prince of Wales College, 1860-1969 (Island Studies Press, 2005). Marian lives on her family's farm in southern King's County with three dogs, three cats, and four horses.