Cassandra Lee is getting ready to pack up her home and family to move more than 3,200 kilometres across the Canada-U.S. border, in search of more "support" and "stability."
She’s one of
more than 400 health-care professionals from the U.S. that have accepted jobs in B.C. since the province launched a targeted recruitment campaign south of the border last year.
Lee, a nurse practitioner in Kentucky, had been toying with the idea of leaving the United States for several years, when one day she came across a video on social media by
Tod Maffin — a Nanaimo man who has been trying to attract health-care professionals to Canadian communities.
“I don't believe everything I see on the internet, but I did some research and B.C. seemed to be the easiest place for me to get my [nursing] license recognized,” Lee said.
Her reasons for wanting to come to Canada are many; she’s a former member of the military, and worries that with ongoing global conflict she may be asked to return to active duty — something she’s not interested in.
414 American health-care workers have accepted jobs in British Columbia over the past year. It comes after the BC Government launched a recruitment campaign last March, aiming to capitalize on American health professionals disaffected by the political climate in the US. Cassandra Lee is one of the people who heard the call. She lives in Kentucky but she'll soon be living and working in Nanaimo, where she has accepted a job as a nurse practitioner.
Additionally, Lee’s son is 2SLGBTQ+, and sheworries for his safety in the United States after President Donald Trump signed an executive order for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to recognize male and female as the only two sexes.
Finally, the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel in communities across the U.S. has Lee concerned for her safety.
“I am born and bred in America, I am the whitest person you can meet and I have been stopped on the street [by ICE] just randomly for being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said.
“I cannot imagine what my patients and friends of colour feel like walking down the street every day fearing for their lives. Honestly, those two instances have really pushed me to rethink my life here in the United States.”
She said she’s leaving a lot behind — but she’s gaining so much more.
“I'm leaving a very lucrative position with people that I love and life that I've built here. If you look at it on paper, it makes no economic sense for me to leave,” she said. "But I go to bed every night scared to death. I wake up every morning very worried, not just for me but for my patients.
“But the peace of mind is priceless and the quality of life is going to be much better.”
Lee said she feels a level of guilt for leaving her patients in Kentucky behind — but knows that Vancouver Island is also desperate for health-care workers.
“You know that old adage on an airplane, you have to put your safety mask on first before you put anyone else's on. I've got to take care of me and my family.”
Lee said she knows her colleagues will take good care of her American patients, although she said she has been talking to her peers about the advantages of moving to Canada.
Having visited Vancouver Island several times, she feels like Nanaimo will be a great fit for her and her son.
“My son and I are avid outdoor people and we love the environment. He's never been, but I know he's going to love the environment.”
Lee said she will begin her new job in Nanaimo mid-August.
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