Tom(28)

Graduating as a forestry engineer from Van Hall Larenstein in Leeuwarden, I had limited options in the Netherlands. The forestry sector is small and jobs are scarce. Canada has the third-largest forest area in the world and a chronic shortage of forestry specialists. Through a specialized recruitment agency I connected with a forestry management company in Whitehorse, Yukon.

The Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) is one of Canada's least known but most accessible PNP programs. The Yukon has only 40,000 residents and desperately seeks workers in virtually all sectors. My employer submitted the nomination and within two months I had approval. The speed was astonishing compared to provinces like Ontario or BC where you wait months to years.

Whitehorse is Canada's smallest territorial capital but has everything you need: supermarkets, restaurants, a hospital, an airport and a surprisingly active cultural life. What it doesn't have: traffic, crowds, anonymity. You can walk from your front door to wilderness in ten minutes. I saw my first northern lights in the backyard of my rental house.

Working in Yukon forestry is different from anything I learned in school. We manage enormous areas — my work territory covers an area larger than the entire province of Friesland. We monitor forest health, plan selective logging, manage bark beetle outbreaks and work closely with First Nations communities who have traditional rights to the land. It's physically demanding work in extreme conditions — 20 hours of daylight in summer, 5 in winter.

The community in Whitehorse is special. Everyone knows everyone, there's a strong outdoor culture (canoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing) and the relationship with First Nations is an important part of daily life. I learned about the Kwanlin Dün First Nation on whose traditional territory Whitehorse is built. It gave me a perspective on land and nature I never would have developed in the Netherlands.

After eighteen months I have my PR status, a permanent contract and the plan to stay in Whitehorse. The Yukon offers something no other place in Canada does: true wilderness, within walking distance. The salary is good (the Yukon pays a northern allowance on top of base salary), living costs are above average but housing is still affordable. My advice: if you seek adventure and are willing to live far from civilization, the Yukon is the ultimate Canada.