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New vet clinic opening in Bonnyville

Magnolia Veterinary Services opening in Bonnyville in the coming months
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Magnolia Veterinary Services is currently in the construction phase and are hoping to open their doors within the coming months. Photo by Robynne Henry.

BONNYVILLE – There will be a new place for residents to bring their fur babies for check-ups in the Town of Bonnyville.

Magnolia Veterinary Services is currently under construction, but doesn’t have an opening date just yet.

Co-owners Amanda and Cordell Ackert said they’ve been working hard to have everything set up to serve clients in the near future.

“There’s definitely been some setbacks along the way so we still don’t have a set day, hopefully sooner rather than later, but fingers crossed for sometime before the end of the year,” Amanda added.

The roughly 5,700 square-foot building, which is located at 4406 68 St. just south of the west-end Tim Horton’s, will be offering services for dogs, cats, and horses.

“We’re going to have a brand new facility with brand new equipment and, hopefully, some equipment that isn’t available in the Lakeland region up until this point,” Amanda noted. “We want to get to know our clients, have those long-lasting relationships with those people, and have support staff that is also on board with that. Also just to be connected to the community and through the clients.”

The plan is to have a large reception area that will feature treats and food available for purchase, along with toys and other pet products.

Building trust with the families who come to them is an important aspect for Amanda and Cordell.

“We’re of the same opinion of our animals that they’re our fur babies,” Cordell added. “You want to make sure if you bring them to the doctor that it’s somebody you can trust and go forward with. Being able to provide that is definitely a focus.”

After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan, Amanda came to the Bonnyville-area in 2011 and worked as a veterinarian. During that time, she saw the need for increased veterinary care to be available for residents.

“I saw a need for a little bit more competition, but also the availability of services was a little bit lacking,” she explained. “People were waiting probably longer than something should have and we’re just trying to increase the availability of services.”

Amanda and Cordell share a love of animals.

Cordell grew up on a farm located in the St. Paul-area before moving to Bonnyville in 2003 when his mom started her own local business.

The pair enjoy spending time with their own horses and live on an acreage with their four-year-old son.

“We had an opportunity to choose if we want to farm and what animals we want to have and the vet clinic fits into that,” he noted.

The news of their clinic has a buzz around town, which Cordell experienced when he went to pick up propane recently.

“I didn’t even get a ‘good morning,’ just a ‘when is your clinic opening?’ We’re just here for the community,” he stressed.

While COVID-19 hasn’t affected construction, it may impact Magnolia Veterinary Services once they are able to serve customers.

“Most clinics throughout the province are still doing a curbside service where basically clients are waiting outside and the animals come into the building, or modifying that slightly,” Amanda detailed. “It’s not anywhere close to business as usual as it once was. That will be another hurdle that we need to navigate and figure out what will work best for clients.”

Amanda and Cordell hope to host an open house once they’re open but that will depend on the medical health orders in place at the time.

Robynne Henry, Bonnyville Nouvelle

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