“The building, the field, the atmosphere when you walk into the building is what really drew me in,” says Arlene about the Castleview Care Centre, a long-term care residence in Castlegar. Arlene recently started working at Castleview as an administrator. “The care aides genuinely care for their residents who all intermingle here; it is not unusual to have a resident drop into your office because it is a part of their home.”

Castleview offers its residents private rooms and bathrooms, a multitude of dining areas, including a large, spacious dining room with a vaulted ceiling, and smaller dining areas for residents who might need a quieter space. “We have a very robust recreation department with three full-time recreation staff too,” says Arlene. “There are a wide variety of events, from bingo to sing-a-longs.”

Castleview has used the Rural Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program an impressive 12 times since June 2020! They’ve hired staff from India, Nigeria, and the Philippines to help curb their extreme demand for trained healthcare workers. In return, they’re delighted to be able to provide these hard workers with hope for their permanent residencies (PR) and integration into their healthcare and greater communities.

Castleview began retaining staff through RNIP when some of its international employees were looking for permanent positions. There seemed to be no viable immigration programs for the healthcare sector at the time.

Arlene awaits her first chance to contribute to the paperwork for RNIP applicants to be approved for their PRs. “I know that a couple of employees here now are just waiting to get to the part of the process where they’ll be asking me for their letters,” she says.  

Castleview is grateful for the diversity that its international nurses bring to the area. The facility considers RNIP an essential program for bringing Resident Nurses from their home countries to benefit the Canadian economy and employment demands.

Castleview Care Centre is one of the many employers working to help RNIP applicants move to the West Kootenay.