This nurse visited Nanaimo with hundreds of other Americans. Now she wants to relocate there
B.C. says applications have more than doubled since election of U.S. President Donald Trump
A Texas-based nurse is hoping to relocate permanently to Canada after taking part in a festival that invited Americans to visit Nanaimo, B.C., amid turmoil between the neighbouring countries.
Rachael Smith-Taylor attended the event last month and used it as an opportunity to scope out the possibility of starting a new life in Canada.
"I'm a wife in a same-sex marriage needing to get out of a red state," she said in an interview with CBC News.
She and her wife, Lisa, also a nurse, live in Texas with their three children. Smith-Taylor says the re-election of Donald Trump made them start seriously considering leaving the U.S., concerned about their family's safety.
"We needed to get out of the red state, or that thought process anyway, to feel safe and move forward," she said.
Her decision comes as B.C. and other Canadian provinces are looking to capitalize on concerns about the United States to attract new health-care professionals to move north. British Columbia says it has seen a 127 per cent increase in applications from the U.S. since it launched a new streamlined system for American nurses to apply to relocate earlier this year.
Smith-Taylor hasn't made the move yet, but last month she and her wife visited Nanaimo after seeing a viral TikTok video by Canadian marketing professional Tod Maffin encouraging Americans to check out the city. The warm welcome they received left an impression.
"The experience reinforced my aspiration to contribute to Canada's health-care system," she said.
They toured Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and learned more about the province's fast-track process.
She spoke to CBC On The Island host Gregor Craigie about the decision.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Is this to do with politics in the U.S., or is this really about wanting to see the world?
Well, it's probably both, but I guess I would have to think politics really catapulted us in this direction, for sure.
We are almost empty nesters. Our plan was to travel and see the world, and this is just kind of been the catapult to get us there.
What did you make of it when you heard this province is streamlining the process to bring nurses in from the States?
It was actually quite relieving to me.
During the heat of the political craziness of this era, you know, as a same-sex couple, we were very frightened for our future: What we would have to deal with, what our children would have to deal with?
And so when I heard that British Columbia was kind of streamlining things, and I knew that I would be able to continue my career somewhere and still have a way to support my family ... it was a huge relief.
What would you say it's like being a same-sex couple in Texas these days?
It hasn't changed much for us, as far as day-to-day. It's the unknown of what might happen, and the talk of the things that could happen, I guess, is the biggest thing right now.
You know, we've had to have those deep discussions with our children about what it might be like for us to be safe and if we were to have to leave, and if they didn't want to leave because, you know, they are young adults and could take care of themselves if need be.
So we've had to have those hard discussions if we did have to flee and seek asylum.
So, where are you at right now in the whole process?
Logistically, we're still figuring that out. We have a senior in high school and one in college, and one is out of the house.
So we have to consider that first and foremost: the family.
We're still kind of in the air, but we are moving forward to know that that's the place where we will be.
What about the cost differences? Housing, taxes, things like that?
It's not all about how much money you make.
It's about your peace of mind knowing that you're safe on the streets. It's about the peace of mind to know you have health care and not have to go, you know, $100,000 in debt because you had a medical emergency.
It's about knowing that you have a community around you that's going to help take care of you.
So I haven't dug deep into the cost differences, taxes, anything like that, because to me, at this point, it's not relevant in my experience.
So, if all goes well and if it goes forward, how soon would you hope to make the move?
In a perfect world without children, we would be there tomorrow, but that's just not where we're at right now.
We have discussed maybe one of us moving forward and one of us staying here and just going, you know, travelling back and forth.
Like I say, we're almost empty nesters, but not quite there. So the logistics of just having the one in high school and figuring out where to go from here is our is our hesitation right now.
But it will be in our future. I do know that.