Interested in joining the Coast team?
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Now Hiring for December 2026 opening
Registered Veterinary Technicians
Client Services Representatives
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Coast Animal Urgent Care Leadership
Jessica MacKillican RVT
Hospital Director & Owner-
With 25 years of experience as a Registered Veterinary Technician, Jessica has built her career in the Lower Mainland and dedicated 18 of those years to emergency veterinary medicine. Throughout her career, she has developed a deep passion for providing compassionate, high-quality care to animals and supporting their families during some of their most challenging moments. Her years in emergency medicine have taught her the importance of teamwork, adaptability, communication, and staying calm when it matters most.
Outside of veterinary medicine, her greatest joy is being a mom to three children and spending time with her beloved Yorkie. When she’s not working, she enjoy staying active and exploring the outdoors through skiing and hiking, as well as travelling and experiencing new places.
As a proud Canadian, Jessica is incredibly excited to begin this new adventure as an owner of COAST Animal Urgent Care. After 25 years of working in the veterinary community in the Lower Mainland, she is looking forward to bringing her experience, passion, and commitment to compassionate emergency care to COAST and helping create a clinic that is dedicated to both pets and the people who love them.
Dr. Christopher Collingwood DVM
Veterinarian & Owner
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Dr. Collingwood brings more than 20 years of experience in emergency veterinary medicine and urgent care to our new clinic, with most of his career spent practicing in the Fraser Valley. A graduate of the University of Victoria, where he earned a BSc (Hons) in 1996, then went on to receive his DVM from Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. His special interests include endoscopy and emergency surgery, and he is passionate about providing skilled, compassionate care when patients need it most.
Born in Northern British Columbia , Dr. Collingwood spent summers working at their family’s fly fishing lodge, where he worked as a commercial float plane pilot. These experiences fostered a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors. Away from the clinic, he is an avid skier who enjoys exploring ski destinations around the world.
Dr. Collingwood is thrilled to be part of the exciting endeavour of creating a new veterinary urgent care clinic from the ground up. He looks forward to building a clinic that combines exceptional patient care with a supportive, collaborative environment. He is particularly excited to work alongside a strong, talented new team to mentor and support team members on the floor.
Dr. Collingwood is a member of the College of Veterinarians of BC (CVBC), Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), Society of BC Veterinarians (SBVC), and Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS).
Dr. Theresa Burns DVM
Veterinarian & Owner-
Dr. Theresa Burns is a veterinarian with 3 decades of experience, including more than 10 years in emergency medicine for pets. She has also worked as a veterinarian in large animal practice, as well as in non-profits and government. The only animals she is not experienced working with are fish!
Motivated by a sense of obligation to the veterinary profession and the Fraser Valley community, Theresa is now embarking on the new adventure of partnership in a veterinary clinic.
At COAST, Theresa will be filling more of a behind the scenes role, using her business and leadership experience to help create a happy workplace culture, and to support the whole Coast team in our mission to provide high‑quality urgent and emergency care for Fraser Valley pets. Once in a while, you may still meet her working ‘on the floor’ providing hands-on care to pets and their families.
In addition to a DVM degree from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Burns holds a Master of Science in animal reproduction from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD in veterinary epidemiology from the University of Guelph. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists. Dr. Burns is a member of the College of Veterinarians of BC (CVBC), Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), Society of BC Veterinarians (SBVC), and Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS).