Veterinary Technician
CA$31.72 - CA$39.65/hr
Junior
Bachelor's
Toronto, ON, Canada
In Person
Medical, Clinical & VeterinaryVeterinary Professionals
About the job
Requirements
- Completion of a community college program in Veterinary Technology or recognized equivalent.
- Minimum one year of practical and related experience and/or two years of on-the-job training is required.
- Previous experience within a laboratory animal facility.
- Previous experience working with large animals in a research setting.
- Experience handling laboratory animals, including rodents and larger animal species.
- Training in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS).
- Ability to use Excel, Word, and Outlook at moderate proficiency.
- Ability to lift 50 pounds.
- No known allergies to animals.
- Ability to exercise initiative and time management skills.
- Effective and professional organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- Ability to exercise good judgment and multitask.
- Compliance with confidentiality requirements.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Ability to perform duties professionally and courteously, produce high-quality work, and meet deadlines.
- Knowledge of applicable legislation and UHN and/or departmental policies.
- Client-service orientation and ability to work effectively with diverse people and appreciate differing opinions, backgrounds, and characteristics.
Responsibilities
- Perform feeding, watering, and cage changing according to the species-appropriate Animal Resource Centre Standard Operating Procedures as needed.
- Provide appropriate environmental enrichment for each species according to the Animal Resource Centre Standard Operating Procedures.
- Care for special research models, such as immune-deficient mice, according to protocol.
- Care for large animal species according to protocol.
- Care for, clean, and maintain assigned animal housing rooms and associated equipment.
- Care for animals in biohazard areas, following proper Standard Operating Procedures, personal protective equipment requirements, and decontamination procedures for personal protective equipment, equipment, and waste leaving the containment area.
- Maintain responsibility for the health and welfare of assigned animals by conducting daily visual inspections and observations of food and water intake and cage conditions, alerting the on-call veterinarian to health issues, and submitting sick cases.
- Carry out veterinary instructions provided in writing through sick cases or verbally, including administering drugs.
- Update sick cases and treatment sheets as required.
- Notify laboratory groups verbally or by email about issues concerning their animals.
- Perform necropsies or tissue collection as needed, including ecto- and endoparasite checks, microbiological samples, blood or serum samples, and tissue for histology.
- Perform tissue sampling and post-mortems as directed by the attending veterinarian.
- Ensure room and facility conditions for animal holding areas meet provincial legislation and federal guidelines, and record environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, light, and ammonia levels.
- Alert the Supervisor and/or Physical Plant Staff to issues regarding environmental conditions.
- Carry out quality assurance measures as directed by the Supervisor or Manager, including pH readings and recording, use of air settle plates, and fomite swabs for room and equipment microbiological monitoring.
- Oversee quality assurance responsibilities in the dirty and clean cage-wash areas carried out by Animal Care personnel, as required.
- Package tissue and biological samples appropriately for shipment to testing facilities as required.
- Provide fee-for-service technical services for laboratory staff on various laboratory animal species as required, including breeding colony maintenance, identification, DNA sampling, drug dosing, blood or tissue sampling, injections, and gavage.
- Administer drugs or treatments as directed by the on-call veterinarian.
- Maintain records for breeding colonies.
- Maintain records for technical services billing and invoicing.
- Inventory cages and/or animals daily or weekly as part of investigator invoicing.
- Enter inventory data into spreadsheets, such as colony censuses or breeding program records.
- Ensure valid animal-use protocol numbers are on cage cards and outside animal holding rooms in accordance with provincial legislation and federal guidelines for housing and use of research animals.
- Perform other administrative duties as assigned by the Supervisor or Manager.
Desired Qualifications
- Registration with the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science as a Registered Laboratory Animal Technician is preferred.
- Previous experience working with large animals in a research setting.
- Experience handling laboratory animals, including rodents and larger animal species.
About the company
University Health Network operates a network of hospitals and institutes that provide medical treatment, conduct scientific research, and train healthcare professionals. The organization functions by integrating clinical care with academic research in fields like cardiology and oncology, using donor funding to translate laboratory discoveries into patient bedside treatments. As Canada’s largest research hospital, it distinguishes itself through its massive scale and its ability to handle complex medical cases that require specialized expertise from its affiliation with the University of Toronto. The organization's goal is to improve community health by prioritizing patient needs and advancing medical knowledge through a combination of care, discovery, and learning.
Company Size
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Company Stage
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Total Funding
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Headquarters
Toronto, Canada
Founded
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- BMO pledged $5 million on March 30, 2026 for PMATCH and the Surgical Tower.
- Geneseeq Canada joined UHN’s SHERLOCK study in July 2026, adding genomic testing scale.
- Helix’s OurGenes study brings free testing to up to 100,000 Canadians over five years.
What critics are saying
- Saleem v. UHN expanded on March 10, 2026, raising discrimination damages and morale costs.
- UHN faces chronic capacity strain until the Surgical Tower opens in late 2028.
- Reliance on philanthropy and government capital exposes UHN to funding delays and project slippage.
What makes University Health Network unique
- UHN ranked #2 globally by Newsweek on February 25, 2026.
- Princess Margaret and Toronto Western anchor Canada’s deepest cancer and complex-surgery research bench.
- UHN’s PMATCH and SHERLOCK programs fuse clinical genomics with trial-matching and precision oncology.
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Benefits
- Professional Development Budget