These French, who have tried the adventure in New Brunswick

In the chaleur region is mainly French speaking, immigrants are welcomed with open arms. It is still necessary to know how to adapt to the remoteness and rurality.

It is winter in Bathurst. Huge blocks of ice drifting along the shores of the bay of Chaleur. This arm of the sea wide to thirty kilometers separates northern New Brunswick from the gaspé peninsula in Quebec. We are in Acadia, in the chaleur region, which stretches around the town of Bathurst on a coastal strip of about 90 kilometers, between Belledune and the Grande-Anse before migrating into the forests of the centre of the province. For the past ten years, several families of French origin have established themselves in this place little-known, there is little, still had bad press due to a fragile economy marked by the closure of factories.

The crossing of the city of Bathurst (15 000 inhabitants) and of the other five municipalities that constitute the region of Heat (35 000 inhabitants in total) does not, however, the impression of a disaster zone. Without being opulent, the homes are bright and on the main road 134 one crosses many beautiful pick-up new and numerous shopping centers with retailers recently opened, including a shop selling legal cannabis...

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"we were told that the north of the province did not have a good reputation, that there were few jobs, a pessimism ambient, tells Pascal Reboul, arrived in 2014 with his wife Loetitia desk lamp and their two daughters. We have not felt anything of all this. It is a dynamic region, in the process of rebuilding. There are announcements of job vacancies are advertised everywhere. One can easily find a work, however, if it is not too demanding", says he.

Kim Chamberlain, head of the Hive, an incubator for local, which helps immigrants to start their own business, confirms this renewal : "Recently, not less than twenty companies are based in the city centre of Bathurst, two of which are microbreweries and many shops. We miss already employees in all service occupations. If the unemployment rate is still high in northern New-Brunswick [editor's NOTE, it is around 12 %] this is in large part due to the seasonal work of fishing and tourism, two sectors which are very present among our neighbours of the acadian peninsula. Here, when the factories have closed, we have focused on diversification."

Like a lot of French, Pascal, and Loetitia, from Béziers, wanted to live the canadian dream, large spaces, and offer an opening to the world their two young children. They had abandoned the idea to settle in Quebec because of the too long time of immigration and by fear to stay between the French... This is the blog of a French family installed in Moncton that draws their attention to New Brunswick. After a journey of discovery of the province, they choose finally to Bathurst and, more precisely, Petit-Rocher, a coastal village about twenty kilometers away.

A choice well thought-out according to Loetitia : "It is easier to build a network in a small town, it is less drowned in the mass". They have also been pleasantly surprised by the reception that has been booked. During their installation, a neighbour has filed a pot of jam on the landing of their house and another neighbor came to mow the lawn... "which we liked, it is the quiet people, the absence of aggression," adds Loetitia. This quiet, this portrait of a city without traffic jams where it is easy to live in a family, often comes up in the lyrics of the new comers of the Hexagon. It says here : "If you take more than fifteen minutes to go from one place to another in the city, it is that you're lost... ""

One-third of francophones in the population

Fabienne and Olivier Paillot, who arrived in the Tarn-et-Garonne, settled here since last year with their three children. The Bathurst region offers, in their eyes, the ideal size and has the great advantage of being by the sea. The couple was first attempted by Nova Scotia, but the prospect of living in a world very largely English-speaking to their fear : "Here, you soak in the two languages and even though English is quickly becoming mandatory, it may very well be at the beginning fend for themselves, only in French," says Olivier. For this engineer, the creation of his small computer company in the field of aviation it has seemed easy. It has chosen to locate its office in a room in his house overlooking the bay : "Between the months of December and April, with ice-cream, the show is wonderful. We wanted a real winter, we have not been disappointed !" he says with a cheerful tone.

Only canadian province officially bilingual, New Brunswick is proposing the establishments of public education in French and in English. For the Acadians, francophones account for nearly 30% of the population, the French-language education is a right and a duty. Some families of newcomers, like the Paillot, however, have chosen the college English so that their children become quickly bilingual. A decision often poorly understood by the local population for the arrival of students from French-speaking countries should help to strengthen the presence of the language of Molière, always fragile in the province.

Olivier and Fabienne Paillot, the size of the region of Barthurst, in the sea, is ideal.

Philippe Renault

Christian Baudchon, his wife Valerie and their three children, originally from Bordeaux, have also chosen New Brunswick for his bilingualism. "During our exploratory trip, the chaleur region is seen as a highlight, because its representatives were the best organized to receive us. In two days, appointments are chained thanks to the multicultural association of the region, but also with the help of the chamber of commerce, two organizations that work hand in hand to welcome the immigrants. School visit, meeting with a lawyer and an accountant and even a meal with the mayors of the region, all this for a small company like mine..."

According to this entrepreneur who sells Internet road maps and hiking around the world, the commitment displayed was not fake : "we felt that We would be able to rely on them once on the spot and this was the case". "Upon my arrival, as I wanted to create my company, I have benefited from a mentoring program, course in social law and business, accounting and on the cultural differences, real training of approximately three hours each, all for free", he explains. This personalized care is for much in the success of the integration of French immigrants. Bathurst would thus a retention rate of nearly 90 %, well above that of the whole of New Brunswick, which stands at 52 % : "On the thirty families that have established themselves in recent years, only a few are parts, most of the time due to work, provide Christian. My advice is to plan well for his project before coming to settle here, because the chaleur region does not offer many jobs of high-level or as specific as a big city," he says.

Nivosoa Ravololomboahangy, in charge of the exploratory visits to the multicultural Association chaleur region, confirms : "When it welcomes newcomers, it warns them that if they come to work in their field exclusively, Bathurst is not the ideal place. It should be soft and flexible in the choice of his job, because all jobs are not available and some of the professions are regulated as accountants, teachers, engineers or electricians."

children can grow up safe and secure

This is the way most immigrants have often had, in the first months or even first years, to accept menial jobs to make ends meet. According to Loetitia desk lamp, "to integrate the labour market is not easy and may be long. There is a job market that is visible and another not visible. The more we experience, the more it has proven and expanded its network of contacts, the more likely you are to find a good job. It is like a small village where almost everybody is dating."

Christophe Couverchel, who created her company's sales of green cleaning products, stated : "It is necessary to know someone who knows someone, fortunately, as the community is minimized, this is not so difficult." He warned potential candidates not well prepared : "If you love the city life, the shopping and cultural outings, the north of New Brunswick is not the right destination. The only cinema in French of the region is to Caraquet to 70 kilometers ! Bathurst, it's for families who yearn for peace and who want their children to grow up in safety. Here, they can go cycling on the roads without worry. Since my arrival, I've never been honked in the car, motorists drive rather cool." According to him, tourism is the new eldorado of this part of the province is ideally situated with the sea, the forest, the lakes in the summer and winters typically canadian appreciated of the amateurs of snowmobiling.

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three years ago, the region has, furthermore, been endowed with a body, Tourism, Heat, in charge of develop new products to attract visitors. The region's Heat so does she so its name so well ? According to Olivier Paillot, "for a newcomer, everything is not as rosy as we'd like to say. There is sometimes a disconnect between the elected officials and local businesses that encourage immigration and the other part of the population that is not always of the same opinion. If one consults the social networks, we understand that some residents are concerned about the entry of foreign nationals likely to take their work. A lot of people are not aware of our motivations and do not imagine the many expenses that we have invested in our immigration process. They think instead that we receive financial aid and material in the same way as refugees. There is obviously a lack of information of the local population." For him, however, it is a normal reaction in a world still very rural. "Immigration in a small town has many advantages, but it is necessary to make its place in a community tightly knit." Once past this stage, the optimism ambient is : "The region offers great opportunities. There is a demand for novelty and this makes you want".