Organizers of 2nd event inviting Americans to Nanaimo, B.C., say attendance likely to double | CBC News
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Organizers of an upcoming event welcoming Americans to Nanaimo for a second time say they expect twice as many people as last year to visit the mid-Vancouver Island city later this month.
Tod and Jocelyn Maffin say the Nanaimo Infusion gathering they organized last year attracted hundreds of Americans to explore — and even move — to Canada.
“This whole thing has been shaped by the community,” said Tod Maffin, a digital marketer, business journalist, and a former CBC radio host and producer, sitting outside his home in south Nanaimo.
“Hundreds of people have made this whole thing happen.”
This year’s Nanaimo Infusion is set to take place from April 24 to 26.
Maffin says other than a photo opportunity and information kiosks in Maffeo Sutton Park at noon on April 25, the weekend gathering isn’t a typical event. Rather, people are invited to visit the city at their leisure and connect with locals and each other via a Discord channel.
Visitors can wear a red lanyard to indicate they are part of the event, Maffin says, which can prompt local residents to help or welcome them.
“We don’t want to program it,” Maffin said. “We want them in our community, eating in our restaurants, shopping in our stores.”
Businesses are also able to take part if they choose. The local art gallery will offer the visitors free entry over the weekend.
Jocelyn Maffin says she’s heard from a lot of locals who are excited and proud to “be on the map” and take part in a community event.
On the Discord channel, locals have offered to give rides, guide tours and just be available to answer questions.
750 attendees estimated
Although no one did an official count last year, the Maffins estimate about 350 to 400 people came to show their support for Canada after Tod’s social media invite went viral.
He said his goal was to create a bridge between the two countries amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51st state and the ongoing tariff war.
A TikTok dream became a reality last weekend in Nanaimo, B.C., as hundreds of Americans came to the Harbour City for the “Nanaimo Infusion” — an event meant to promote local businesses. Nanaimo resident Tod Maffin had sent out a call for Americans to visit the city on the social media app in a February video that went viral. As Claire Palmer reports, local businesses are already feeling the boost, just one day after the main event, with some Americans expected to hang around until next week.
So far this year, more than 450 people have registered. The Maffins estimate about 750 will actually be in town for the event.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog says he is “thrilled” that the Maffins are organizing the event once more.
“It was a great success last year,” Krog said. “It’s a great boost for our economy, a great boost for tourism in general.”
Attracting health-care workers
Krog says one of the biggest benefits of last year’s event was that it attracted health-care workers to the region.
Some attendees, including several health-care workers, later chose to relocate to Canada as a result of the experience.
Tod Maffin says about half of those who have registered so far for this year’s event have indicated they are health-care workers. The event even has a separate Discord channel for visitors interested in moving to Canada.
This is Vancouver Island18:28Why a Kentucky health care worker took a job in Nanaimo
Ninety-seven American healthcare workers have accepted jobs on Vancouver Island since the province began recruiting across the border last spring. That includes a nurse practitioner from Kentucky, who was inspired by Nanaimo content creator Tod Maffin to make the move. We’ll hear from them both, as well as B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne on what’s needed to address the systemic issues still plaguing the island’s health staffing shortages.
“I think a lot of health-care workers are feeling really burnt out and ground down by the American health-care system,” he said. “They’re really relieved to have a way to use their skills and get out of the current political system.”
The event at Maffeo Sutton Park on April 25 will have information tables on health-care jobs, immigration, local schools, housing and the local 2SLGBTQ+ community — topics that generated the most interest last year.