Welcome to Saint John: Meet a heart surgeon who's saving lives and planting roots
In the high stakes world of heart surgery, precision matters.
And for Dr. Saurabh Gupta of Saint John, N.B., every stitch, every second and every heartbeat counts.
'When the OR lights turn on and all the other lights dim, it's a very surreal experience and it's very hard to explain that it's just you and whatever the problem is in front of you,' he said.
Gupta's story doesn't start in the operating room; it starts thousands of miles away in Delhi, India, where a 12-year-old boy packed up his life with his parents and moved to Canada.
He says his parents, who worked as an engineer and a homemaker, chose Canada because they wanted to offer him opportunities and a better quality of life.
He's now a cardiovascular surgeon at the New Brunswick Heart Centre and credits his family's tough decision and journey for where he is today.
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Gupta believes every new Canadian's story is unique and important — and encourages others to find out more.
'What I wish people knew about immigrants is the why, the curiosity. Why did you move? Why did you uproot your life to come to Canada?' he said.
'When you travel and are received kindly because you're Canadian. I think it's a very unique balance that not a lot of other countries or nationalities get to experience. So, I think being Canadian, to me, means I can be who I want to be.'
Growth through immigration
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The City of Saint John is on track to welcome 22,500 new immigrants by 2030 and the city is expecting newcomers to fuel key sectors, including health care, construction, technology, and business development.
The province of New Brunswick as a whole is set to increase its immigration quota to over 4,200 permanent residents this year, after negotiating with Ottawa over the allocation numbers. That's an increase of 1,500 from the figure announced in February.
As part of that announcement, the provincial government said it will hone in on priority sectors — like health, education and construction. It will also accept 400 asylum claimants over the next two years.
Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon said the city is ready and prepared for this growth — and needs it.
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'Historically, Saint John has seen their youth go away to university but then not return. So, with immigration we see the young families coming,' she said.
'We know and understand that 80 per cent of our growth, at least in Saint John and probably … New Brunswick, will come through immigration.'
In 2023, Saint John welcomed permanent residents from 41 countries, with India, Nigeria and the Philippines as the top sources.
But adapting isn't always easy. Language barriers, job recognition, and cultural shifts are just a few of the challenges people face when they come to Canada.
2:19
A look at Saint John's growing population and stories of newcomers
The Saint John Newcomers' Centre emphasizes community engagement while helping new Canadians transition to living in Saint John.
'When you meet a newcomer, when you meet somebody you don't know, be welcoming, be friendly. We are known for this in this part of the world,' said the centre's managing director, Mohamed Bagha.
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'Whether it's either getting a job, getting an apartment (…) do not look at them differently than anybody else.'
According to the latest Canadian census in 2021, about eight per cent of Saint John residents are new Canadians. Bagha said they also account for 10 per cent of new business registrations with the the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, which is a dramatic rise in just a few years.
'People move for opportunity and if we can connect their talent to the right opportunity, this would be a win-win situation for everybody,' he said.
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TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by assets and serves over 27.9 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto Finance Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank ®, TD Auto Finance U.S., and TD Wealth (U.S.); Wealth Management and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities and TD Cowen. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 18 million active online and mobile customers. TD had $2.1 trillion in assets on April 30, 2025. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. About the Survey This survey was undertaken by The Harris Poll Canada. It ran overnight on May 30 th, 2025, with 1,534 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists. The results have been weighted by age, gender, region, and education (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding.
