Diane Lindsay loves her family, her town and her work. 

Since 2005, the licensed practical nurse for the Northern Health Region has been living in Lynn Lake, providing essential health-care services to the community. Working at a fully operational hospital with a physician available at all times, she is part of a team ensuring round-the-clock care through a clinic, an emergency department and 24-7 nursing support. 

The birthplace of musician Tom Cochrane and former newspaper cartoonist Lynne Johnston, Lynn Lake — 1,100 kilometres north of Winnipeg — is rich in a fascinating and entertaining history. Once a thriving mining town, its population dwindled from thousands to mere hundreds after the mines shut down.  

Lynn Lake offers a way of life that Lindsay deeply values: peace and tranquility, a slower pace, stunning boreal forests and a strong sense of community. Now, with a new gold mine bringing renewed optimism, Lindsay is happy to be part of a new chapter.  

Born in Toronto, Lindsay arrived in Winnipeg as an infant with her mother, who was raising three children on her own. Very much a tomboy growing up, she was a farm girl at heart, so as soon as she could, she left city life to create a home in a rural setting.  

“I left in ’94 and never looked back. I lived on a couple of farms in rural Manitoba, had horses, ducks, chickens and pigs,” Lindsay says.

 “A friend of mine convinced me to work with seniors. I was genuinely interested in what older people had to say, so I got a job in a care home. It was an instant falling in love.” 

Over time, she decided to enroll in a health-care aide course, which she completed in 1999. Then in 2000, Lindsay welcomed a daughter. She was living in Gimli, doing home care and raising her child as a single mom when a program for nurses came up in Arborg at satellite site of Assiniboine College. She applied, got accepted and completed the program, graduating in 2004. 

During this time, she met the man who would become her husband, He was working as a teacher in Nelson House before taking a job in Cranberry Portage and eventually ending up in Lynn Lake, where he convinced Lindsay to join him. The long-distance relationship had been challenging, so she decided the time was right to make the move.  

“It was very peaceful, beautiful,” she says of her first impression of Lynn Lake. 

Though she missed having a Tim Horton’s nearby and had to downsize considerably — making arrangements for her many animals — she applied for a position at Lynn Lake Hospital in the fall of 2005, got it and stayed. 

“When I moved up here, I wanted to bring my horses up here so bad, so we found a little piece of property.”  

 She and her husband built a barn, hauled hay all the way from Lundar, brought in horses, ponies, huskies and a couple of cats. The couple has two daughters and will soon be first-time grandparents.  

 Small-town life has helped Lindsay’s family live a good life. They enjoy being together half the year at their cottage.   “Country life is wholesome,” she says. 

With the exception of a year when she took a break after COVID to act as travel-nurse with an agency flying in and out to Nunavut, Churchill and Flin Flon, she’s remained a nurse in the community she loves.   

“There are many things I really enjoy. I like the feeling of success. I have the ability to tell you that I can fix this for you. I can make you feel better — the nurturing part,” says Lindsay, who also teaches and certifies emergency nurses and physicians in CPR. 

“You have time and get to know your patients and really talk to them and understand them. I really like that aspect. We go above and beyond. We are even serving them food. We just want them to be comfortable.”

For Lindsay, being a nurse in the north offers many advantages. “In Lynn Lake we don’t face a lot of the problems the majority of nurses face,” she adds, indicating the advantage of having more time to spend with patients.  

“Ours is the only health facility for hundreds of miles. This is it for our big area. I’ve seen absolutely everything. I’ve delivered babies, dealt with vehicle collisions, murders, lightning strikes, electrocutions, overdoses, preventable deaths, suicides. Twenty years’ experience has helped. I was a deer in the headlights when I started. Here you never know what you’re going to get. You have to be prepared for anything to come through that door.”

With Lynn Lake looking at significant population growth in the months ahead, there will be a need to add more hospital staff. Lindsay continues to welcome visiting nurses in the hopes of recruiting them to stay. 

“You need to be able to pick up skills fairly quickly. We get a lot of new nurses up here. It’s learn-as-you-go. For people who are kind of shy and quiet: not a good job for emergency,” she says.

“People need to be outgoing, focused, eager to pick up and go, get along well with others, to look after patients. No drama-type of people. Leave your luggage at the door. And you definitely need a sense of humour — we are fun here!”

Explore nursing opportunities in the Northern Health Region at Current Career Opportunities – Northern Health Region

What stands out most, Kari says, is the close-knit relationships formed with colleagues—special friendships built through teamwork and shared experiences.

Living in the North also offers an affordable lifestyle and a strong sense of community, paired with unbeatable access to the outdoors. For Kari, it’s more than a job—it’s a meaningful way of life.

Jillian Sawchuk didn’t always envision settling down in a Northern Manitoba community, but after nearly two decades in Gillam, she can’t see her life anywhere else.
“I feel really fortunate to call this my home and to be accepted by the community.”     

For the past 10 years, Sawchuk has worked as a Nurse Practitioner providing a high-level of care to the communities of Gillam and Fox Lake Cree Nation.

As the sole female healthcare provider in the community, Sawchuk plays a vital role in women’s health, maternal care, and prenatal services. She performs IUD insertions, contraceptive implants, and other procedures that are crucial to ensuring that women in the region have access to essential healthcare.

Sawchuk’s work consistently reflects her commitment to continuity of care – ensuring patients receive follow-up care, guidance, and any additional referrals they might need.

“Being able to follow up with my patients and close that loop is what I love most about my job,” Sawchuk explains. “It’s about treating the person as a whole.”

In a remote community like Gillam, where resources are limited and access to care can be challenging, primary care providers like Sawchuk are indispensable. While larger cities have numerous specialists, Gillam’s residents often need to travel long distances to access care. Sawchuk, has worked tirelessly to bridge these gaps, using telehealth and other resources to connect her patients with the care they need, no matter how far away those specialists might be. Her ability to navigate these challenges makes her a lifeline for many in the community.

Outside her clinical role, Sawchuk is also an engaged and active community member. She serves on the local school advisory committee and is involved in recreational programs like the skating and hockey clubs.

“I believe in leading by example,” Sawchuk says. “If I want to encourage others to live healthier lives, I need to be involved in the community and set that example for them.”

Sawchuk’s dedication to the people of Gilliam illustrates the powerful connection community and consistency in care can have. She recognizes the challenges of working in a remote location and views them as opportunities for growth and ways to make a meaningful difference.

“My work here is never dull,” she says. “Every patient and every situation is different, and that provides me with opportunities to continue learning and adapting to better serve my community.”

For Sawchuk, the most rewarding aspect of her work is the ability to make a tangible impact on people’s lives. Whether it’s providing critical prenatal care, guiding a patient through a complex health issue, or simply offering a reassuring word, Sawchuk’s presence in the community is invaluable.

“What keeps me motivated is knowing that I’m making a difference,” she shares. “I may not always be able to solve everything right away, but I know how to connect people with the care they need, and that means everything.”

Interested in a career as a nurse?

In every community and in all health-care settings, Manitoba nurses are making a difference. Nurses are essential members of our health-care teams, bringing their skills, dedication, and compassion to patient interactions every day.

Nurses collaborate with members of the health care team to provide care to individuals, groups, and communities in a variety of practice areas. Nurses work within a broad scope of practice, which includes health promotion, and illness prevention, direct patient care and rehabilitation.

A career as a nurse can take you anywhere!  Visit  Current Career Opportunities – Northern Health Region to explore how to become a nurse, incentives and benefits and more.