Some Ukrainian medical workers who fled the war for Nova Scotia say they are frustrated by how hard it is to get approval to work in their new homeland.
Nova Scotia called for Ukrainian medical workers through the Support for Ukraine program, which says, “Are you a Ukrainian health-care worker looking to practise in Nova Scotia? There may be a great career already waiting for you!”
The program helps Nova Scotia Health hire nurse practitioners, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.
Ukrainian refugees were also drawn by the Physician Stream, a provincial program seeking immigrant physicians to fill jobs Canadians and permanent residents have been unable to.
But many Ukrainian refugees say these programs aren’t working.
“For now, it’s only silence,” said Oksana Hatlan, who nursed in an intensive care unit in Ukraine for 14 years. She and her nine-year-old daughter were drawn to Nova Scotia by the Support for Ukraine program. Her husband is still in Ukraine.
“They announced that two months ago and since then, silence. So I’m not sure if it works.”
Ukrainians are facing numerous challenges navigating the medical licensing process.
That has meant weeks of waiting for a response from officials, from the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Nova Scotia, and for the medical diagnostic test needed for immigration so they can begin applying for jobs. The cost of medical licence fees adds to their list of worries.
Alison Graham hosted the Hatlans when the mother and daughter first arrived in Nova Scotia. (Paul Poirier/CBC)
Hatlan moved out of her host family’s residence within two weeks of her arrival in Truro, N.S. In that time, she found a job in the local hospital as a care team staff member.
She said community members and neighbours have bent over backward to ensure she settles in well. However, the province isn’t making use of the medical workers it has at its disposal, she said.
Hatlan said she cannot consider studying full-time to upgrade her qualifications because she needs to work to make ends meet.
“It is very important for health-care workers not to be left out of our profession. We must improve knowledge, skills, learn English and gain new experience,” said Hatlan.
Alison Graham, a councillor in Truro, hosted Hatlan and her daughter. She said after she learned she was a nurse, it motivated the entire community to help out, recognizing that an investment in a nurse is an investment in the community.
“We’ve done our part. Now it’s time for the province to step in and do their part,” said Graham.
Health minister wants to streamline process
Over a month ago, Health Minister Michelle Thompson said Nova Scotia is looking to recruit Ukrainians to fill various health-care roles. She acknowledged the process wouldn’t be easy because of the credentialing process.
On Tuesday, Thompson told CBC News that folks can reach back out to the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment if they haven’t heard back from them.
She said the hiring process is cumbersome and some of the common issues are unequal credentials and a lack of English skills.
“We do want to streamline the process upholding public safety as the colleges are designed to do, but also, moving people into meaningful professions,” said Thompson.
Thompson said things could be done differently around credentialing to retain health-care workers in the Atlantic provinces, but how that is done remains to be seen.
Recently, Newfoundland and Labrador’s health minister met with Ukrainian refugee doctors following similar reports. The province is designating someone to help Ukrainians navigate the process and will also pay the licensing fees.
‘What should they do?’
Daria Vinnytska practised as a diagnostic radiologist for over 15 years in a Ukrainian hospital. (CBC)
Daria Vinnytska landed in Nova Scotia from Ukraine nearly two months ago.
She practised as a diagnostic radiologist for over 15 years in a Ukrainian hospital, but her postgraduate training was 20 per cent of what is required in Canada.
She could go through nearly five years of postgraduate training, or possibly work as a clinical assistant. Neither is appealing nor makes sense to her.
Vinnytska chose Nova Scotia because of the Physician Stream.
“The system and all this official organization, they are working very slow and that is the problem,” said Vinnytska. “Any immigrant waiting in Canada, what should they do?”
The Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment said it is working on a streamlined approach that helps with recruitment.
Dr. Gus Grant, CEO of the college of physicians and surgeons, told CBC News that the Nova Scotia Health Authority referred 69 medical professionals trained in Ukraine. Most of them are currently not in the province.
The college issues licences to allow physicians to practise medicine in the province. Grant said the college found 26 applicants were clearly ineligible for licensure of any form, and 10 were possibly eligible for a clinical assistant licence.
“There is no bespoke approach for Ukrainian physicians in particular,” said Grant.
Canada has a strict licensing procedure for physicians that must be met, said Grant, but that is not to say international medical graduates with experience cannot help in some way.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
