Trump's New $100k Price Tag For H-1B Visa's And Decimation of The CDC is a GOLDEN Opportunity For Canada - Here's Why Making Canada the global standard for disease research/prevention and hoovering up top talent that can't won't pay Trump's new visa extortion fee should be at the top of Carney's "to-do" list Dean Blundell Sep 20 Let’s say it plainly: the United States just put a $100,000 price tag on keeping a single scientist. That’s the new H-1B fee. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. It turns a work permit into a luxury item—and tells researchers they’re not welcome unless somebody can pay a ransom. At the same time, America is playing politics with vaccines and the public institutions meant to protect people. That isn’t leadership. It’s a warning sign. Here in Canada, we don’t treat science like a partisan plaything. We build public institutions, we trust evidence, and when our neighbours stumble, we help. This is our moment to do what Canada does best: open the door, roll up our sleeves, and lead with competence and kindness. And yes—the Canadian government is already scoping a supplementary intake to catch stranded H-1B students and researchers, and exploring a global CDC-style centre in Toronto or Ottawa. That’s exactly right. Now let’s make it real—and fast. Step 1: Open the door—and make it easy Canada already has the tools. Use them like we mean it. Two-week work permits are available for scientists, clinicians, data specialists, and lab leads. Permanent residence pathways that put down roots—because stability builds breakthroughs. A revamped H-1B route to attract the individuals the U.S. has just priced out. Family-friendly by design: spouse work permits, school placements, and welcome teams in the city they choose. A one-stop “Science Safe Haven” portal that enables labs and universities to relocate entire teams without getting lost in paperwork. This isn’t theoretical. The brain drain from the U.S. is already happening. People want safety, stability, and a government that respects facts. Canada offers all three—and we do it with a smile and decent healthcare. Step 2: Build what the world needs—the Canadian Centre for Disease Research & Control (CCDRC) Put the HQ in Toronto or Ottawa (with nodes across the country). Make it independent by law. And don’t start from zero—we already have the backbone: National Microbiology Laboratory (Winnipeg) for top-tier containment science. VIDO (Saskatoon) to develop and manufacture vaccines on Canadian soil. CIRN to run gold-standard vaccine trials across the country. GPHIN to spot disease signals early—modernize it with language coverage and smart tools. University & hospital hubs (U of T, McMaster, Ottawa, UBC, Laval, Dal, and more) to take discoveries from lab to clinic. What CCDRC does (in plain English): Find problems early. Watch the world for unusual outbreaks and share what we see. Build solutions fast. Turn lab ideas into real vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments—right here in Canada. Guide immunization with honesty. Run clean, transparent studies and publish the results—good, bad, or meh. Show up when it counts. Train and deploy rapid-response teams so communities aren’t left waiting. A global PR tool that helps keep the world safe, while leaving America’s disinterest in humanity behind. How we keep politics out: Establish CCDRC through an Act of Parliament, appoint a fixed-term, arm’s-length Chief Science Officer, publish meeting notes, and enforce conflict-of-interest rules. Sunlight is non-negotiable. Cost & timeline: $2.5–3.0B over five years. “Go live” in 12–18 months by connecting what exists, not building empires. By Year 2, produce Canadian-made vaccine batches for at least two priority threats. Step 3: Speak with Canadian confidence “Your U.S. visa costs $100,000 a year. In Canada, it’s two weeks and a welcome letter.” “No politics in our labs.” We legislate independence and publish the receipts. “We help the world because we’re Canadians.” That’s not bragging—it’s our brand. America’s disinterest is yet another INCREDBLE Canadian opportunity. It’s not just an opportunity to elevate Canada’s standing as we continue to decouple from the Trump Regime’s perverted version of America; it’s an opportunity to attract the most intelligent people in the world to a country that is emerging as the new leader of the free world. Why this matters (and why we’re perfect for it) When science is bullied, families lose doctors, hospitals lose staff, and kids lose trust. Canada can fix that—not by dunking on America, but by quietly doing the work and doing it well. We’ve always been the neighbour who brings soup, coordinates the block party, and knows which breaker to flip when the lights go out. That’s leadership. That’s Canada. This is bigger than public health. It’s who we want to be in the world. The U.S. under Trump is in it for itself. Canada is in it for our communities, our allies, and anyone who needs a steady hand. We can host the world’s outbreak nerve centre, train the next generation of scientists, and make sure lifesaving tools are built on Canadian ground, with Canadian values. It’s time to take the role people thought America would play—and play it better, not with swagger, but with service. Service is something we take seriously in Canada across all political and ideological chasms. It’s in our DNA. Canada is hope. Canada is help. Canada is ready. Canada is moving forward, so let’s do what we do best: Rise to the occasion for the betterment of humanity, democracy, and the Canadian people. Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. #Canada #BuildCanada #GlobalHealth #PublicHealth #Science #Immigration #H1B #BrainDrain #CDCRC #PHAC #VIDO #NML #GPHIN #CIRN #Toronto #Ottawa #Democracy #Vaccines #Outbreaks #Biosecurity #ProudlyCanadian Want a matching thumbnail and a spicy three-tweet promo thread to go with this? I can spin those up right now.