The North Shore, a vast and largely uninhabited territory, is suffering from the worst demographic decline in Quebec. Despite its remoteness, harsh winters and difficult access, the region still manages to attract new arrivals. The duty traveled its coastline over 800 kilometers to understand the reasons that lead these immigrants to the ends of the earth. Third in a series of four texts.
Do you know the “Alouettes” of Sept-Îles? This very local gastronomic specialty, heir to an Italian tradition, has left an indelible mark on the North Shore. Even today, we find traces of this pioneering immigration in the four corners of the city. Looking back with those who made history.
Few know it, but hundreds of Italians lived in Sept-Îles in the last century. The Stea family is undoubtedly the best known of them.
“My big brother Johnny, with my two brothers-in-law, immigrated in 1951. They were scouts, if you like, for the family,” says Franco Stea, 73 years old. Himself arriving at the age of 4 in this remote region, he remembers well the “barracks” which welcomed his family at the time. His family, southern Italians, like so many others, were fleeing the conditions of poverty in post-war Europe. If they found themselves in Sept-Îles, it was because the mining companies were hiring in full force to build a railway. The weekly wage was $35 in Montreal, compared to $80 on the North Shore. The choice then seemed easy, even if it meant jumping into the unknown. “We didn’t know where we were going! When we arrived in 1954, we lived on the reservation [innue] », remembers Mr. Stea.
“The idea was to leave, make a little money, then come back to Italy and buy land. Finally, once the children are in the setting, there is a change in mentality. Listen, I’m from Quebec. »
Some two hundred families of Italian origin settled in the 1950s and 1960s on the North Shore, according to his brother, Johnny Stea, in an interview given to Radio-Canada a few years ago. The duty was unable to interview him due to his declining health.
At the height of the work, nearly 7,000 men were employed for the construction of the railway between Sept-Îles and Schefferville. Up to a thousand of these came from Italy, says Carlo Polacco, a hairdresser who had a storefront for decades.
“How cold,” says the middle-aged man, remembering his years in Schefferville. Once the railway was completed, “many were hired down there.” A barber in Italy before his arrival in Quebec, he resumed hair work in the capital of the North Shore. Only problem: no building exists to accommodate it. “I built four homes,” he said, in addition to his own living room.
Flesh and then wine
The historic businesses of Sept-Îles owe a lot to the Italians. The Place de Ville shopping center was notably built by Italian hands. In addition to the barbershops, Johnny Stea’s famous butcher’s shop has been a hit on the region’s tables. Not only did he sell game hunted in the area, but he also sold the first Italian sausages to Septiliens, and created what would become a local specialty: “Alouettes”.
This creation is inspired by brageole, a typical Sicilian dish, a sort of meat roll with secret seasonings. What’s more, the Italians of Sept-Îles also took care of making wine, a rare commodity at the time when the Liquor Company was absent from the territory, or whose products were still too expensive.
“Everyone was making their own wine! In good years, we brought two truckloads of grapes from California [en passant par des contacts à Montréal]. It was 4000 cases of wine! » relates Carlo Polacco. “People almost invited themselves to our house for a little wine,” laughs Franco Stea, in turn.
Some also remember that the Italians demanded squid from the fishermen, which citizens of other origins disdained.
In addition to enlivening gastronomic life, the Italian joie de vivre entertained the city until the turn of the 2000s, remembers Albino Zancan, president of the defunct Cercle des Italians de Sept-Îles. Festive events organized by the Circle attract up to 500 people. “We were very popular because we had parties, and everyone came. Everyone, even the mayor and his advisors, the lawyers, everyone! »
From one generation to another
A large part of this pioneer community deserted the city over the years, following the exile of children who left to study elsewhere. Some, however, remained and still contribute to the prosperity of Sept-Îles today.
“I was raised Italian,” says Daniel Putti, of the first generation of Italian origins born and raised in Quebec. If pride remains over time, his children do not really speak Italian and Quebec culture inexorably takes over.
Digging into his memories, he concedes that certain tensions may have existed between the Italians and the rest of the Septiliens. Inappropriate gestures that he attributes to “the fear of difference”. But the differences have never led to “racism”, according to all the Italian origins interviewed by the Duty. “When you’re different, you have to expect to stand out from the crowd,” Daniel Putti explains simply.
Note that it was not only Italians of origin who populated the young town of Sept-Îles. No less than 45 nationalities were listed by the magazine News dated November 1980.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.