Traveling thousands of kilometers to work in Quebec is no easy task. While the professional and personal prospects are tempting, this major transition comes with its share of challenges for temporary foreign workers. In addition to changing countries, some TFWs must stay in isolated regions such as Côte-Nord, Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Nord-du-Québec. Is this an advantage, a disadvantage, or both? Find out more in this special report.
Text and photos : Marie-Anne Dayé
Mohamed, Bilel and Mohamed, originally from Tunisia, felt called one day by job offers in Quebec. Today, they’re in Sept-Îles. For them, this peaceful town was the ideal place to start this new chapter in their lives.
At the Dépanneur 7 jours in Sept-Îles, the comings and goings are frequent: customers paying for gas, picking up a take-away meal at the counter. Meals prepared by Mohamed Chouayakh, Bilel Ben Aissa and their kitchen team. We join them and their friend Mohamad Ayech, who works at Pizza Salvatore, to find out a little more about their backgrounds and aspirations, and why they decided to settle in this small North Coast town.
Mohamed Chouayakh, cook at Dépanneur 7 jours
“I’ve been in Sept-Îles for ten months, but I hope it turns into ten years,” says Mohamed Chouayakh, originally from Sfax in Tunisia. He had long dreamed of coming to Canada, a dream that came true in October 2023 when he began working as a cook with a closed permit at the Dépanneur 7 jours. Apart from the first few months, which gave him a few chills (a considerable temperature difference from his hometown), he says he feels at home in Sept-Îles, a quiet place where he can contemplate the beautiful scenery and fish. “When I’m stressed, I go to the beach and stay quiet, then I go back home. With his brother having arrived in Montreal this summer, all he’s waiting for is his wife and three children to join him next year. “I want to create a new life here,” he says.
So he doesn’t see his presence in Quebec as temporary, but rather as a long-term adventure. He hopes to take French courses with the Alpha Lira organization and, in the future, open a restaurant serving Tunisian, Canadian and European specialties.
Bilel Ben Aissa, cook at Dépanneur 7 jours
Ever since he graduated in cooking, Bilel has been thinking about coming to Quebec to work. “Here, the mentality is different, it’s open, you can do what you want,” he says. He says he’s quickly adapted to life in Sept-Îles: he takes part in activities offered by the Alpha Lira organization, has developed friendships with Quebecers and has even become a poutine enthusiast. “I like Sept-Îles, I think it’s a beautiful town. It’s a bit like my village in Tunisia: there’s the beach, the sea, people smile and say hello, it’s like a family here. Sept-Îles is very small, and everyone knows everyone else.
The only snag, in his opinion? Public transport, which is virtually non-existent in Sept-Îles. That’s why he bought a car, which comes in handy in winter.
Like his colleague Mohamed, he would like one day to open his own restaurant to showcase the cuisine of his homeland, and at the same time diversify the region’s culinary offering.
Mohamed Ayech, assistant manager at Pizza Salvatore
Unlike his fellow Tunisians, Mohamed hadn’t planned to come to Quebec to work. He felt at home in Monastir, Tunisia, with his wife and two children, and was making a good living. A friend, who moved to Montreal two years ago, encouraged him to look at job offers.
That’s when he saw an opening at Pizza Salvatore and took the plunge. I never thought it would happen,” he says, ”I thought it was all talk. And then I found myself here,” he says.
He was originally going to work in the capital, Quebec City, but was eventually offered a job in Sept-Îles, some eight hours away. “Even if I get an offer to go to Quebec City, I’m going to turn it down. I want to stay in Sept-Îles. I like the town, I feel safe here. But living so far from his wife and two children was impossible, so he and Alpha Lira began the process of arranging for them to join him.
They arrived on July 22, 2024, much to his delight.
