Thirteen years after moving to the US, I returned to my Canadian homeland with my American husband, our 2 young kids and our vizsla to rebuild our life here. Whilst the road may have had its bumps, it’s turning into an incredible adventure.
From Quebec City to Montreal to the US
Sometimes, I imagine myself sitting down with my 10-year-old self in Quebec City—back when I spoke only French—and telling her that one day she’d leave town, get into pre-med, medicine and an otolaryngology – head and neck surgery residency at McGill University in Montreal, then move to the US for a 1-year pediatric otolaryngology fellowship in Denver, stay in the US because oops, met my American husband during fellowship, move to Connecticut for 3.5 years, get a furry child there, then move to Chicago for almost 8 years, have 2 kids there, to then finally come back to Canada to settle in Ottawa, Ontario.
Her eyes would probably go wide at the thought of studying in English—or living in the U.S., a place she only knew from vacations in Maine and Florida. But medicine? She’d high-five me for that. Becoming a doctor was always the dream.
This journey may look bold. But at the time, each step felt like the next logical one, and that it was meant to be (sometimes out of the blue, sometimes because I chased it).
Something Was Missing
Life in Chicago was good. My husband and I lived in a wonderful neighborhood with good schools. We had great jobs, and I felt I had completely integrated as an American. We had access to world-class museums, restaurants, and entertainment in the Windy City. However, over time, I realized that something was missing.
We didn’t have local family support, and COVID-19 really drove that point home for us, especially after a couple of scary nanny experiences. I struggled teaching French to my kids without any exposure outside of home. The practice of medicine was not heading in a direction that aligned with my initial “why” of going into medicine. I missed the vast untouched Canadian nature. I longed for a better work-life balance. And then there was the chaos of the news, the school shootings… Moving back to Canada started to feel like it needed to happen.
It was a huge leap of faith for my husband to eventually embrace this idea. Born and raised in rural Colorado, he had never imagined life outside of the US. His first trip to Canada felt overwhelming to him. But over time, he fell in love with the warmth of its people, the easy connections he made there, the diversity, the safety, the more human pace of life, and its natural beauty. He decided it was his turn to go through the immigration joy ride, as I had more than a decade ago.
We Settled on Ottawa
We settled on Ottawa because it was close to my family, a major driving factor for our move, and it’s a fully bilingual city, offering English and French as official languages. My husband could do his life in English (he doesn’t speak any French… although he is planning on learning!), our kids could learn both languages, and I could serve patients again in my native tongue.
Ottawa turned out to be a gem of a city for families. It is the nation’s capital with a plethora of museums, historic sites, and events. It is extremely diverse, has a great restaurant scene, breathtaking scenery, schools & hospitals are excellent, and the population is very educated. Montreal is 2 hours away, Toronto is 4 hours away, and you can be in upstate New York in just over an hour.
Medicine in Canada
When I reached out to the Chief of ENT at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ottawa (CHEO), there was no opening at the time, but he was petitioning the government for new positions. A few months later, I visited with my family and toured the hospital. Eventually, a position opened, I applied, interviewed, and joined an incredibly talented team that welcomed me with open arms.
Everyone was so helpful. I had feared how hard it would be to readjust to the Canadian healthcare system. Yes, I had trained in Canada, but it felt like decades ago, and I considered it as if I had to start over from scratch. However, learning a new system turns out not to be that hard, and a year later, I am thriving. I love practicing medicine a lot more. My colleagues work hard, but they also know how to strike a balance between their work and time off. Nobody bats an eye if you decide to take a two-week vacation – everyone does it. As a result, the workplace is more positive and uplifting.
The healthcare system in Canada provides universal healthcare, so it is a public system. Each province has jurisdiction over its own affairs, so things differ from province to province. In Ontario, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) regulates the profession. I am an independent worker, and I pay for malpractice insurance (the Ministry of Health reimburses the majority of it); I can also incorporate to save on taxes. Many physicians bill fee-for-service. At my hospital, I earn a salary (plus various bonuses) based on reimbursements the government pays our surgical group. Salaries are the same as, or even higher than, in the US for surgeons, although the Canadian dollar is currently weaker, so your purchasing power in the US decreases.
The real estate market is also a bit crazy in Canada post-COVID, with expensive housing and not much inventory, so you have to be prepared for that. There are tradeoffs. Taxes are higher, but they fund low-cost daycare, low-cost education (my medical school at McGill was about $5,000 a year when I went through!!), free healthcare, employment insurance, old age security, generous parental leave, and a myriad of other social programs.
I never have to deal with insurance companies here. Most Canadians purchase additional insurance policies to cover items not covered by the public system, such as therapies, massages, out-of-province health coverage, medications (which are initially more affordable than in the US), dental care, and eye care. Are waiting times worse here for specialists and surgeries? Yes, but not always. It’s not a perfect system, but no system is.
My Husband’s Journey Was Harder
My husband’s journey was harder. It took him 10 months to find a job in User Experience design at a Canadian bank … As he puts it, it was hard for him to see himself as “someone” without a job, given the intense focus on that in the US. But he soon started to appreciate the freedom of not having his healthcare tied to his job (we were under his insurance in the US) and to explore his long-held desire to be an entrepreneur and start his own company. While he was looking for a job, he launched Hitch, an app that matches people to play tennis and pickleball in any city. It is growing quickly, I am so proud of his resourcefulness and resilience on that front! I sponsored him for Permanent Residency, and he obtained it 10 months after his application.
Life in Ottawa with Kids
Our kids, ages 3 and 7, are thriving at school; they’ve made a ton of friends very quickly, are making lots of progress in French, and are signed up for many activities. We all love winter in Canada, as there is so much to do! From skating on the largest ice-skating rink in the world on the Rideau Canal to playing hockey in the streets, to taking Sunday downhill ski lessons at a nearby hill to going sledding at your neighborhood park, winter is truly beautiful and enjoyable here. Summers are warm and filled with soccer, swimming, camps, nature hikes, camping, and trips to any of the thousands of lakes surrounding any city in Canada.
Was this move easy? No.
Doing licensure applications and immigration forms was tedious. Starting over, making new connections, new networks, and new friends was hard. Was it worth it? Would we do it again? A million times YES. Our family is stronger, more resilient, and deeply connected to our new Canadian home.
If I had told 10-year-old me where this journey would lead, I wouldn’t have believed it. But every step, every leap of faith, built the life I have now. So if you feel the tug of a dream—whether it’s a whisper or a roar—don’t shove it aside or squash it with all the “but’s” and “I can’t”. Instead, sit with it. Explore it. You might just find yourself coming up with all the ways to make that dream happen, to living a life beyond what you thought was possible.
Thinking about making the leap to Canada? Don’t do it alone.
Through our one-on-one mentorship program, Dr. Valerie Cote will help you navigate the move to Ontario with more clarity, fewer headaches, and a spirit of adventure. Let’s turn that whisper of possibility into a real plan. Click here to learn more & sign up.
Dr. Valerie Cote attended medical school and an Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery residency at McGill University in Montreal and a pediatric otolaryngology fellowship in Denver, Colorado. She spent 13 years practicing in the US before returning to Canada in 2024. She is now a full-time pediatric otolaryngologist at CHEO, an academic pediatric hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. When not working, she is busy playing with her 2 young kids and 10-year-old vizsla, self-managing a short-term rental in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and enjoying the outdoors. She is also a certified Life Coach and loves coaching, getting coached, and listening to podcasts.
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