Getting internationally educated nurses to work

Plus, Ontarians struggling to pay their mortgage and the toxic drug crisis [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the challenges facing internationally educated nurses, an increase in distressed home sales and the toll of the toxic drug crisis on young adults. DON’T MISS Richard Lautens/The Star health care [Why is this nurse working at an insurance firm? Inside the battle to get foreign-trained nurses into the field]( Karim Wannous thrived in an emergency room — triaging patients, tending to critical cases and performing resuscitation when needed. But that was in Lebanon. Today, Wannous is working in Toronto as a clinical case manager for an insurance company, Kenyon Wallace and Nicholas Keung report. Wannous still has one final exam to pass before he can work as a registered nurse in Canada — capping a two-year process he started when he moved here in 2022. [Take a closer look at the uphill battle many internationally educated nurses face to get their credentials recognized in Ontario](. - By the numbers: A new report by World Education Services (WES) Canada surveyed 758 internationally-educated nurses not currently working in their field and found that half of them had not begun Ontario’s registration process to practice, even if they wanted to. Registration costs, exams and testing fees can total $3,000 at the low end. - Go deeper: The pandemic forced health officials to confront the underutilization of skilled immigrants, said WES Canada’s strategy, policy and research director. Internationally educated nurses are vital for alleviating the nursing staff shortage. Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star Photo Illustration housing [A Mississauga family lost their home of 20 years when mortgage payments soared — they’re not the only ones at risk]( Forced to sell their home, Patty and Nader’s toughest burden to bear has been hearing their teenage daughter cry herself to sleep at night, Clarrie Feinstein writes. After life-changing health issues reduced the couple’s income by 80 per cent and debts piled up while interest rates soared, they found themselves unable to pay their mortgage. “Our daughter is about to start high school and we had to pull her out because we can’t afford to live in Mississauga anymore,” Patty, 53, said. The unprecedented rise in mortgage rates has led to more and more Canadians falling behind on payments, experts say. [These graphs illustrate the factors pushing more people toward the same fate](. - More: The bank said this single mother couldn’t afford her Toronto condo. [She now pays nearly double in rent](. - Meanwhile: After nearly seven months, these North York renters are still refusing to pay rent — [and have no plans to start](. Canadian Press/Graeme Roy toxic drug crisis [Opioids are responsible for one in every four deaths among young adults]( From 2019 to 2021, premature deaths due to opioid overdoses doubled across Canada — from 3,007 to 6,222 — and accounted for one in four deaths among people aged 20 to 39, new research has found. “That, to me, is staggering. Think about the degree to which these accidental deaths, these preventable deaths, are shortening people’s lives,” said Tara Gomes, a scientist at Unity Health Toronto and senior author of the study. [Kenyon Wallace reports on why young people may be particularly vulnerable](. - By the numbers: In the past eight years, the drug-toxicity crisis has killed more than 40,000 people nationwide, averaging 22 deaths per day in 2023, the Public Health Agency of Canada estimates. - Now what? Gomes said the findings serve as a call for all levels of government to coordinate efforts to invest in a variety of evidence-based treatment and harm-reduction services that are adaptable to the communities they serve. - Meanwhile: Eight years after B.C. declared a public health emergency, [the toxic drug crisis rages on](. [Calendar icon] Are our messages a little late for you lately? Emails from the Star are taking longer than normal to arrive to Gmail and Hotmail inboxes after we send them. That's a problem we're solving now, but we're sorry for keeping you waiting. WHAT ELSE Pierre Poilievre had a very good week — [thanks to Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh playing follow the leader]( Althia Raj writes. [G7 leaders say Iran’s weekend attack on Israel marks a further step toward destabilization]( risking “an uncontrollable regional escalation.” [Banning abortions in 2024? History tells us what this is really about]( Shree Paradkar writes. Canadians get their carbon rebate today. [Here’s how much you can expect after the increase](. “We don’t know where things are going.” [Frustrations mount among York University students as a strike drags on]( A man who fatally beat a Toronto DJ in a midtown apartment building has been [found guilty of manslaughter](. No, it’s not a bank. [But Wealthsimple says it feels the pain of younger Canadians — and sets sights on mortgages](. Dear gen-X, it’s not too late to set yourself up for a comfortable retirement. [Here’s how to get started](. Black Bull Tavern’s new owners have set a timeline for reopening. [Here’s what we know about the Queen West institution](. Insurance is high on frequently stolen vehicles. [Here’s how to reduce your premiums](. POV Andrew Meeson/The Star [How the wall built to hide Doug Ford’s redevelopment of Ontario Place became a space to publicly mock it.]( CLOSE-UP Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star SUNNYSIDE: A woman goes for a jog along the Sunnyside Boardwalk in Toronto on Sunday morning. [Toronto is set to see sunshine and warmer temperatures early in the week before rain returns](. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_212254). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Get full digital and ePaper access Limited time sale: Only 17¢/day — save 50% your first year [Get This Offer]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](