George Freundlich

It only took a few interesting photos from a magazine article about the High Arctic. I immediately fell in love. The year was 1994 and I suddenly knew I had to visit this place. The feeling came from my spirit of adventure.  For three years, 1995 to 1997, I visited the High Arctic several times. The experiences changed my life in ways I cannot fully describe.  At that time, I had just received my full portable licence, allowing me to practice medicine anywhere in Canada. I decided to visit in March, when the days and nights are more or less equal. I didn’t want to deal with only two hours of sunlight each day. Nor did I want to go in the summer months, when there is only daylight and you see the sun at 2 a.m.  I started inquiring about opportunities for short-term work, meaning I would take over for a doctor on sick leave or vacation. I also had to figure out how to get there. You can only fly to the High Arctic. There are no roads. These pilots are enormously skilled to ...

In 1989, I had already lived in Canada for more than three years — the typical length of residency required before you can receive citizenship.  I had emigrated from Romania in 1985, and was excited for my path toward citizenship. I also knew that the journey toward medical practice would be difficult, but I persevered..  At the time, I was working in the small mining community of Buchans in Newfoundland. It was there that I received the title of Senior Medical Officer, becoming the youngest doctor to receive that honor in Newfoundland, which is the highest qualification a physician can receive.  I was only 32 years old.  When I arrived in Buchans, I had already spent a year in St. Anthony working for Grenfell Regional Health Services. Before that, I worked in Ottawa and Montreal as a carpet cleaner (and lost my job because I couldn't afford a car), in a library and as an orderly in several nursing homes in Ottawa. In Montreal, I worked in different private clinics ...