Yellowknife (July 02/01) - While Nunavut and NWT health officials look abroad to lure nurses North, foreign recruiters are busy doing the same here.

Two representatives of Georgia-based O'Grady-Peyton International, for example, gave presentations at the Yellowknife Inn June 25 to talk about acute-care nursing contracts in places like California.

Sweetening the deal On Friday, the Nunavut Health Department announced a new package of incentives to attract nurses. Every nurse who signs on for a three-year-contract will be rewarded with: $6,000 signing bonus, paid immediately $2,000 paid every three months for two years Extra $2,000 bonus after two years

They were offering wages of $20 to $30 US an hour ($31 to $46 Cdn) with accommodations covered, plus a signing bonus of up to $6,000 US ($9,300 Cdn) for contracts as short as 13 weeks. Hospital nurses in Yellowknife, by comparison, make between $25.66 and $32.06 per hour, with a signing bonus of $5,000.

The NWT is one of 16 stops on a three-week Canadian recruitment drive.

"A lot of nurses that are here are here for further information," said Marie Malone, chief operating officer for the recruiting agency. "They were curious. They wanted to know some more, and where they would fit into the bigger picture."

She said she would not know how many nurses were serious about leaving until follow-up interviews in the coming weeks.

Cora Blanchette, an NWT obstetrics nurse, came out just to see what was on offer.

Despite the lucrative offerings, Blanchette said she won't be going anywhere soon. "My kids are young and Yellowknife is nice. It would be nice if we got more money but they still treat you good here."

Other nurses, who didn't want to be named, are less committed to sticking around. They said Canada's North is getting too expensive and they haven't seen their wages reflect the rising costs. Several complained they aren't getting paid as much as nurses in Alberta, where the living expenses are lower.

"It's a loss of benefits that's frustrating everyone," said one nurse, referring to housing and vacation travel allowances that were withdrawn in 1996. He said he came out to shop. "Unless I see movement from the government, I'll be moving within the year."

Another nurse said some sunny California weather would be the biggest draw for her. "We have good resources here and it's an excellent place to work. For right now, this is my home. But that 13 weeks sounds good -- like a paid holiday."

Others were even more disenchanted. "We're all thinking about going because this isn't home for any of us," one said. "Why should we stay when we can move some place with a spring and summer, make more money, and be closer to family?"

Although morning sessions drew fewer than 10 nurses, Malone estimates she saw closer to 70 nurses by the end of the day.

She emphasized that most nurses attracted from Canada generally return after a short stint in the U.S. and that anyone serious about leaving will find their own way south, with or without companies like hers.

"If there was anybody who was interested in coming to the United States, it is available to them every day of the week, not just here today. If they want to leave, they just need to pick up any Canadian nursing magazine ... and pick up the phone."