Province of Ontario wants to avoid a new lockdown
Among the announced measures, special attention is paid to speeding up the certification of foreign medics.
The province of Ontario has published its Stay open plan. Among the many measures that the provincial Ministry of Health plans to take, the requirement for regulatory bodies to issue foreign professionals certificates and licenses as quickly as possible is highlighted.
The province had already tried to attract foreigners with medical backgrounds, allowing them to work under the supervision of local doctors. It turned out that this was not enough.
Provincial legislation has now been amended to prohibit the requirement that health-care workers have experience in Canada and to highlight those immigrant health-care workers who speak more than one language.
Ontario is also investing $81 million CAD to expand a program that allows nurses to study for free if they spend two years working in remote parts of the province after graduation. Up to 1,500 nurses will be able to participate in the program each year.
A new "Learn and Stay" program opens, following the same pattern, but for more majors. Starting in the spring of 2023, 2,500 people each year will be able to enroll in local universities and receive full tuition reimbursement, including book fees. Which majors will participate in the program will be announced at a later date.
