When the first nurse from the Philippines arrived in Fort St. John more than 50 years ago, she started what would become a long history of sharing culture and building a community in the North Peace.
Alan Yu, Founder and Chairman of the Barangay Fort St. John Society told city council on June 10, that first Filipino nurse, Mama Tess, was proud that she’d helped deliver three generations of Fort St. John’s babies. Now, after 50 years, medical professionals from the Philippines are still following in Mama Tess’s footsteps with the recent arrival of a young Philippine doctor, Mary Joice Santillan.
“We still see an influx of Filipinos in Fort St. John, mainly students and temporary foreign workers,” said Santillan. “However, recent changes in the Canadian international student program will see a little reduction in the number of students coming here, starting with the September fall 2024 intake.”
Santillan says she arrived in Fort St. John two months ago and is a trained medical doctor and Philippine registered nurse. She is currently navigating the requirements of the Canadian system to become certified to practice medicine in the North Peace.
“Hopefully I will be taking my qualifying examination next year and will be able to practice medicine in Fort St. John in the future.”
In October 2018, the House of Commons officially designated June as Filipino Heritage Month in Canada. Yu and Santillan were present at the council meeting to request that the city recognize June 2024 as Philippine Heritage Month, and that the Philippine Flag be raised and flown at City Hall throughout the month.
Filipinos continue to be a productive sector in the region, with approximately 1,800 people from the Philippines residing in the area.
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