Immigration in the region | “San Jorge” of Beauce

Want some El Yucateco sauce for your ginger and sesame cucumber crudo that will impress your friends? It’s easy. Take a detour to Saint-Georges! By browsing the shelves at Chez Latina de Beauce, you’ll certainly find what you’re looking for.

If there is a Latin American grocery store in the heart of Beauce, it is because there are customers who are not ” foodies ” of the big city. This clientele is the Hispanic population that continues to grow. We are of course thinking of the agricultural workforce, but the growing contingent is the personnel of service companies and especially of the manufacturing industry.

Open since 2021, Chez Latina de Beauce is a business that sells products from all over Latin America: long coriander, basil seed drinks, shrimp consommé, nopal cactus… “There have been a lot of Latin Americans in Saint-Georges for the past two years,” observes Lorlly Luna, co-owner of the grocery store with her husband, Christian Cascante. Both are originally from Costa Rica and are Canadian citizens.

“When we arrived, we saw that to buy Latino products, we had to go to Quebec or Montreal. We said to ourselves that this was the opportunity to start our business,” she explains.

The numbers don’t lie. Beauce reached a peak in immigration in 2023. According to a survey conducted by the three economic corporations of Beauce, 1,700 temporary foreign workers were employed by 124 Beauceron companies last year, in addition to agricultural workers. The majority of them came from Latin America.

“Our main clientele is manufacturing companies,” says Hélène Latulippe, who heads the Beauce Economic Council. “In the metal and wood sectors, they’re a bit unavoidable: everyone has them. But we’re definitely seeing more and more of them in our businesses. There are several restaurant chains that have them, there are some in grocery stores, there are some in garages.”

The jackpot

Tomy Malenfant and his wife own two restaurants in Saint-Georges, including a taqueria that opened in January.

He is categorical: “Yes, there is a lot of immigration, but we need it, otherwise we wouldn’t get there. I think 40% of the companies would be closed. I wouldn’t have been able to open my second restaurant, and I would have a hard time making my first one a living.”

To open his Mexican restaurant, which he wanted to be “100% authentic,” Mr. Malenfant brought in a couple of cooks from Mexico.

“There are a lot of restaurants in Saint-Georges, but they all look the same. They all have a burger, tartare, poutine, pizza,” he says. “I wanted to bring something different. Plus, we have a big, big Spanish-speaking clientele who come to eat. They are happy. Even if they are Colombian, even if they come from Costa Rica, they know tacos, and it’s closer to their cuisine than a poutine from Quebec.”

His cooks, Alejandro Aldama and Ariane Saavedra, arrived in early October with their 3-year-old son. Mr. Aldama has a three-year closed work permit, and his wife has an open permit.

“I like it a lot,” Alejandro says.

“Great country, great people, great food,” he sums up in English, sitting at the bar of La Taqueria next to the boss.

The restaurateur also believes he has hit the jackpot: “In the restaurant business, I would say that it’s been about twenty years since I’ve had such professional workers. They won’t leave if the work isn’t finished and if it’s not to their taste. It’s just wonderful to see them go. It’s been at least 20 years since I’ve met cooks like that.”

In the dining room, seven of its ten employees speak French and Spanish.

“For us, it’s important that they speak Spanish. Why? Because we have a lot of people who have just arrived and who only speak Spanish, not a word of French or English,” says Mr. Malenfant, who is also learning Spanish. “I have a doorman who speaks Spanish, a barmaid who speaks Spanish. It’s a great clientele. We want people to feel good.”

Stay for good

Alejandro and Ariane love their new life in the region. They are taking French language courses, have enrolled their “little man” in daycare, and bought a car. Their idea: to stay here forever.

This is also the wish of almost all temporary foreign workers. They want to stay and the companies that recruit them want them to stay.

“You don’t invest $10,000 per person so that they stay for two years and then leave,” illustrates Hélène Latulippe, of the Beauce Economic Council. “Employers all want these people to stay. And workers, usually, all want to bring their families and stay. In the last two years, many families have come to join their spouses, but it all depends on the French test. If you fail the French test, you go back home.”

Cohabitation between the local population and newcomers is harmonious, she says, even if it involves challenges. “The services that are limited for our Quebecers are also limited for immigrants. Our issues are housing, transportation and daycare.”

But the immigrants are here for good. And their numbers are set to increase. Little by little, the region is changing. A radio station in Beauce broadcasts exclusively in Spanish. Muslims gather in a prayer room in Saint-Georges. Spanish speakers attend masses in Spanish. The Solstice Festival programs world music performances…

“Of course, everyone wants to go to the big city, where there are buses, mosques, grocery stores that sell your food,” acknowledges M.^me Latulippe: In the region, it’s more limited. But I think people are discovering the quality of life, they see that the cost of living is lower here, that it’s safe, and that it’s a great place to raise a family.”

The owners of Chez Latina de Beauce arrived in the region in 2015 with two-year closed work permits.

“Why St. George? It’s because it’s the opportunity we had,” says Lorlly Luna. “Really, we didn’t know anything about Canada. We came to St. George because that’s life!”