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 safely fly in

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 as a physiother