Mi casa norte de Ontario: hundreds of Latin American newcomers changing the face of northern Ontario

Hundreds of people from Latin America have been moving to northern Ontario in the past few years.

Some are coming for work, many are coming for school and most hope to make the region their forever home. 

Synara Saab left her native Brazil 18 months ago with her husband and son and landed in a place called Sault Ste. Marie.

"We were working a lot and you couldn't see the return of all that hard work. We decided to find a better place to live and to raise our son," said the 36-year-old.

"We kind of had a stable life there, but we were not happy. I think something was missing. I love Sault Ste. Marie. I love it."

She is now studying at Sault College, while her husband works. He has also applied for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, in hopes of landing permanent residency in Canada and one day, citizenship.

Karin Diaz, 43, and her husband also chose to come to northern Ontario when they left their native Chile about two years ago, because the immigration program makes it more likely they'll get permanent status.

She is now studying communications at Cambrian College in Sudbury, meeting many others who recently arrived from Central and South America.

"It's nice to meet other Latin American people and understand their reason, because they are coming here like me. 'What happened in your country, because you are here now?" said Diaz.

Her 32-year-old sister Debora Prado has now joined her in Sudbury. She is studying at Cambrian as well, and co-owns a photo booth rental business with her sister, while her husband has started a mobile car wash business.

"It's so different here than in my country, but I try to get used to it," Prado said through the help of an interpreter.

"It's nice. The people are nice with us. But I miss my home."

Zoi Monroy came to Sudbury 18 years ago from Venezeula and remembers the frustration of not knowing French or English when "you want to say something and you don't even know how."

The 48-year-old professional dance instructor also remembers being shocked to hear anyone speaking Spanish in northern Ontario back then. 

"You know you go to the stores and now you hear people speaking Spanish. And it's like wow, this is different you know?" said Monroy, who is now helping newcomers get settled.

She said she joined a WhatsApp group called Latinas in Sudbury three years ago that had 50 members. It's now up to 451.

When Rafael Huertas lost his job with a Mexican airline during the pandemic, he and his wife decided it was time to think about a fresh start for their family, including their two teenage daughters.

"I don't like to talk about that much, because it's a real situation that's happening in my country," said the 52-year-old. 

"It's not so safe to be there right now for my daughters. It's not a good place to live."

The family came to Sault Ste. Marie two years ago. Huertas studied culinary arts at Sault College, now works in the kitchen at a downtown hotel and dreams of opening his own Mexican restaurant one day.

"We are looking back, and we already talk about it, and it was the best decision we take together to be here in Canada," he said. 

"Here in Canada, it's amazing, because it seems like there are no limits. Everyone is treated like an equal. No matter the age, no matter the gender, no matter the beliefs, no matter nothing. We don't have that in Latin America and also in Mexico."

And Huertas says he's excited to be part of a growing Latin American community in northern Ontario. 

"At the beginning, you want to be only close with the Latin American people, because maybe the language, maybe the culture, it's the natural way, you know?" he said. 

"But in the end, you need to live with the Canadian people. You need to share with them."

Travis Anderson, the director of tourism and community development for the City of Sault Ste. Marie, says there's "definitely been an uptick" in people coming from Latin America in recent years, which now ranks third in newcomer groups behind India and the Philippines.

"I always get a kick of people from very warm climates brave northern Ontario, but it's been great to see," he said, adding many are coming for jobs in local aerospace companies and at the Tenaris steel mill, which is owned by an Argentinian company. 

"Cultural communities are important once you get to a certain number of individuals there's a real sense of home for them."

When Sandra Mongui came to Sault Ste. Marie 20 years ago, she says she could count the number of Latin American families "on one hand."

And now the 51-year-old native of Colombia, who founded the Northern Ontario Hispanic-Latin Association, says it's up to 350 families and she is busy helping all the newcomers get settled. 

The association offers classes in English and in Canadian culture, while also offering locals training in Spanish, as well as Latin dancing and cooking. 

Mongui, who hopes that the growing population might lead to some summer festivals or maybe even the establishing of a community centre, says the influx of Latin Americans "makes me smile," but she's also feeling a bit of "cultural shock."

"I've been here for a long time and you kind of get settled here in Canada. They came and kind of reminded me of my country,"  she said. 

"It's very beautiful. It's very interesting. I love how we learn from both cultures. Sometimes I feel like a sandwich. In the middle."