Suspicious documents in an Island Health job application, aliases in two provinces, arrested in Idaho: the Central Saanich nurse impostor jailed for 115 days

In Canada nursing is regulated province by province, and the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) and the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta both keep public registers. In 2023 both colleges issued public advisories warning health-care employers about a woman who might be using fraudulent documentation, Victoria Buzz later reported. The case that concluded in Victoria in February 2026 shows how far an impostor can get before anyone checks, and how a single alert employer can stop it.

According to Saanich News, Island Health told Central Saanich police in early October 2023 that a woman had applied for a nursing position using suspicious documents. The BCCNM confirmed she had never been a registered nurse in the province. Saanich News reported on 20 December 2023 that Charrybelle Talaue, then 34, faced charges of forgery and personation, police alleging she had made false documents and impersonated another person between 22 September and 15 December in the Sidney area to gain an advantage for herself. Police said they believed she had applied for and worked other health-care jobs in BC and Alberta under several aliases, and the force's deputy chief thanked Island Health, the college and Alberta Health for their cooperation.

Saanich News reported in May 2025 that she had been charged in 2024 with several counts of fraud, forgery and personation, that the offences were believed to date back to December 2023 across the Capital Regional District, that the investigation had expanded into Alberta where further charges were laid, and that she fled while awaiting trial, prompting arrest warrants. Central Saanich detectives located her in Idaho; working with US and Canadian authorities, police arrested her and returned her to Canada. On 3 February 2026 she was sentenced to 115 days in jail after pleading guilty to five counts, one of forgery, two of identity fraud and two of fraud, Saanich News and Victoria Buzz reported, with credit for time already served in pre-sentence custody. Victoria Buzz listed nine aliases police said she had used, including the name of the person she was charged with impersonating. Chief Constable Ian Lawson said the multi-jurisdiction investigation had 'resulted in a successful conviction'.

What worked here was the employer's check: Island Health looked at the documents, found them suspicious and called both the regulator and the police. What failed, on the police account, was everything before that. Victoria Buzz reported that she had worked in health-care settings across the Capital Regional District, and police believe she held other jobs in two provinces under different names before anyone verified a registration that did not exist.

For anyone hiring, or being treated, the registers exist for a reason: a registered nurse's name and status can be confirmed online in minutes, and a regulator's public advisory is a signal no employer should ignore. For students, the case is a reminder that a forged credential is not a shortcut but a criminal record that follows you across borders; the only durable path into a regulated profession is through the regulator's own door.