N.S. Health says recruiters at critical-care forum didn't target workers in Canada

Nova Scotia was the only Atlantic province to send recruiters to a recent health-care forum in Toronto, although an official with the province's health authority said they weren't targeting people who already work in Canada.

"To be clear, Nova Scotia will continue to participate in regional recruitment forums, as other regions do," Nova Scotia Health spokesperson Jennifer Lewandowski said in a recent email.

"However, Nova Scotia will not send teams on targeted missions to recruit staff from other provinces."

The Critical Care Canada Forum took place in Toronto from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, bringing together health-care professionals from around the world to discuss caring for critically ill patients.

Topic of discussion at premiers' meeting

In the lead-up to the event, Nova Scotia Health posted a message on social media saying that two of its recruiting consultants would be at the event for two days and encouraging people to stop by a booth "to chat about careers" and "your potential East Coast Lifestyle with Nova Scotia Health."

It's not uncommon for provincial representatives to attend medical events for the purpose of recruiting. However, the focus of those efforts became a topic of discussion during a meeting of Canada's premiers when they gathered in Halifax last month.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said he did not believe that, during a time of staffing shortages across the country, provinces should be trying to recruit workers from each other. Houston said that practice would stop in Nova Scotia and he called on other premiers to follow suit.

Spokespeople for the governments of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. all said that they did not send recruiters from their respective provinces to the forum in Toronto.

Recruiters were 'raising awareness'

Lewandowski said the Nova Scotia recruiters joined clinical partners at the forum "to better understand critical care so we can support our operational partners."

The recruiters were "raising awareness and showcasing opportunities across Nova Scotia Health to a global audience of forum participants — as will other provincial health authorities," said Lewandowski. 

But they weren't actively recruiting health-care professionals from other Canadian provinces, she said.

Along with the two recruiters, Nova Scotia Health sent representatives from the critical care unit and legacy of life program, with the aim of bringing knowledge back to their respective groups to ensure Nova Scotians are receiving the best care possible, said Lewandowski.