Canada is always trying to attract skilled workers to strengthen its economy and workforce.

While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has taken steps to address immediate shortages in sectors such as healthcare, several provinces are attempting to attract skilled workers to the healthcare industry using financial incentives.

These include tuition waiver, reimbursement of various fees, etc.

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This article will provide details of some of these incentives province-wise.

Manitoba (MB)

Originally announced in November 2022, Manitoba’s Health Human Resources Action Plan is a program designed to attract and employ 2,000 healthcare providers across the province’s healthcare system.

As part of this program, the following are the three latest incentives introduced by the Manitoba government:

• Welfare Incentives: This incentive gives all full-time employees a one-time increase of $500 to their Health Spending Accounts (in addition to their existing allowances). Part-time employees will receive $250 through the same incentive.

Healthcare Spending Accounts (HSA) are provided to all eligible Manitoba government employees to help them pay for eligible expenses. According to an online fact sheet published by the government, the province “deposits a pre-determined amount of benefit dollars into their accounts [each account, which] It can be used to meet the existing benefit maximum, or to pay for any medical expenses you incur that aren’t covered by the plan. [Canada Revenue Agency’s medical expense credit] Requirements.

• License Reimbursement: This incentive will provide eligible employees with reimbursement on any professional license or association membership fees for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 license years. To be eligible for this incentive, employees must work for a covered employer, be employed during the applicable license years, and be able to provide proof of payment of eligible fees.
• Weekend Premium: This incentive will enable employees who work on eligible weekends to receive a premium of $8.00. The Manitoba government notes that this premium is retroactive to November 18, 2022, adding that this incentive will continue until the next collective agreement is approved.

Comment: The above incentives represent just three of the more than 10 total benefits available to participants of this Manitoba-based program. Click here for complete program details.

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)

Through various programs, NL offers incentives to various healthcare industry employees ranging from signing bonuses to funding for those starting their own family practice across the province. One example of this is the Come Home Initiative.

This initiative is for, among other groups, people who were educated in NL, resided in the province, trained in NL or have previously practised medicine across the province. The province is also offering different financial incentives for people who are willing to return to Newfoundland and Labrador on a “return-in-service” agreement.

In other words, for people already in the province who are willing to return to NL and practice for three or five years, the province will provide different financial incentives depending on their specific practice. Some examples of these incentives include:

• $100,000 for a five-year return-to-service agreement (physician)
• $60,000 for a three-year return-to-service agreement (nurse practitioners)
• $50,000 or a three-year return-to-service agreement
  • Registered Nurse
  • licensed Practical Nurse
  • Primary Care Paramedic
  • Clinical Pharmacist

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Come Home Incentive is also available to those with no previous ties to the province. However, the financial incentive is different than for those with an existing connection to NL. More information on these incentives and the overall incentive program can be found here.

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

The PEI government recently increased the incentives for its Allied Health Professional Recruitment Incentive.

This incentive, which is available to eligible healthcare professionals in 11 occupations, provides up to $10,000 to eligible candidates provided they commit to a return-to-service agreement for 1,950 work hours (or one year of full-time equivalent). Eligible occupations include:

• Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT)
• Medical Radiation Technologist (MRT)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technologist
• Respiratory Therapist (R.T.)
• Sonographer
• Social worker
• Pharmacy Technician
• Pharmacists
• physical therapist
• occupational therapist
• dentist

A July 10 press release from the PEI government states that candidates who meet the following criteria may be eligible:

• Become a new candidate for the workforce in PEI
• have not worked at Health PEI (or any other PEI-based employer, whether in the public or private sector) within the past two years
• Never received an incentive before

Click here for more information.

Saskatchewan (SK)

The province of Saskatchewan offers several incentives for students and professionals in the healthcare industry. One example of this is the Graduate Retention Program (GRP).

The GRP offers a $20,000 tuition rebate to eligible graduates who live in SK and file an income tax return. Full details from the SK government are available here.

GRP Eligibility

To be eligible for this incentive, candidates must do the following:

• Graduated from an approved post-secondary program
  • An approved program must: be equivalent to at least six months of full-time study at an eligible institution; award a certificate, diploma, or bachelor’s degree; or provide journeyperson certification
• Have applied to GRP within seven years of graduation
  • Comment: 2018 graduates have until April 30, 2025 to apply
• Already living in or moving to Saskatchewan

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