Small towns, big opportunities: Why immigrants are moving away from urban centres
Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2022 16:10:08 +0000
If there’s anything that the pandemic has proven, it is that there’s life beyond the big cities. Tens of thousands of people have left urban centres like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in favour of small town Canada. For newcomers, the lure of cheaper housing, more space and more opportunity has them looking further afield. For rural communities, the challenge is to balance progress while preserving their unique histories.
Brockville is one such historic community that is welcoming newcomers to contribute to its rich heritage. The coordinates of the oldest incorporated town in Ontario make it an important economic hub. This small town, situated on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River across from New York State, is just a few hours away from Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Once a manufacturing and industrial giant, Brockville is once again seeing economic growth and investment.
Wajahat Khaleeque (aka Waji the Baker)
Many immigrants like Wajahat Khaleeque (aka Waji the Baker) made the move to Brockville in 2020 for economic opportunities.
Khaleeque immigrated to Canada from Pakistan in 2002, earned a bachelor of commerce degree, and gained a Certified Bakery Specialist designation from the Baking Association of Canada.
After 15 years of working in bakeries around the Greater Toronto Area, he opened his own café in Mississauga and started serving all day breakfast. But when Sunset Grill offered him a franchise opportunity in Brockville, he took a leap of faith and opened the business.
“I had lived the majority of my life in Toronto,” says Khaleeque. “I don’t have any relatives or friends in Brockville, but since moving here I’ve made a lot of new friends in customers, staff members, and neighbours. Brockville is beautiful. I’m glad I moved here. I love the small town feel.”
Life in the slow lane
Ahmad Khadra
Small town living can be startling for newcomers who move here from the big city. But immigrants like Ahmad Khadra have found that the culture shock is worth the effort. Khadra, owner of Kinda Electronics in Brockville’s historic downtown, landed in Montreal when he came to Canada from Syria in 1995, but left soon after for Brockville.
“If you like nature and the outdoors and a relaxed pace of life, this is the place for you,” Khadra says. “A few times in the summer I’m asked to take people out on St. Lawrence River cruises. In late September on the boat, when the sun is setting on the river – it’s paradise.”
Brockville has changed a lot since he’s lived here. “I remember in the early days I was walking down the street and three men were coming toward me. One of them said with a perfect accent ‘As-salamu alaikum’.” I put my fists up thinking they wanted to fight! I was known as the ‘husband of the lady who wears a scarf.’ Brockville people are very kind-hearted, very open,” Khadra says.
Newcomer Marc Gomez-Segu also found it very hard to adjust to small town living when he arrived in 2015 to be with his wife who grew up in the area. “I joke that I was thrown in the bushes!” Gomez-Segu says.
Marc Gomez-Segu with his team.
But he decided to make the effort. “I had very little English, but I went to school and learned.” Today, Gomez-Segu, the 2021 Leeds and Grenville Immigrant Entrepreneur Award Winner, is running a successful food import business, El Rebost de les Milles, in the town of Prescott, just east of Brockville. He recently added a takeout component to bring in more revenue during the pandemic, and the community has been enthusiastic.
He says that Prescott’s location close to the 401 is a big plus. “For me, this is the perfect location for my wholesale business, in the middle of the largest cities in Canada. I would say that this area has a lot of opportunities, but it has to be the right fit for you.”
Growing diversity
The population in Brockville, like most small towns in Canada, is predominantly White. As Melissa Francis, program manager of the St.Lawrence-Rideau Immigration Partnership, a coalition of organizations building local capacity to attract, settle and integrate immigrants points out, several initiatives highlight the growing diversity of the region.
“We have an Immigrant Entrepreneur Award every year that helps promote the achievements of newcomers. And our ‘We Are Neighbours’ campaign demonstrates the diversity of our people and the ways of life here.”
“Progress is being made,” says Francis. “We’re getting the word out that there’s diversity here and that newcomers are incredible and have amazing stories.”
“I was born and raised in Brockville,” adds Lauren Smith, program coordinator with the Partnership. “I’ve noticed a visible change in the diversity in the area. It’s been a slow gradual change, but it’s different from what it was even 10 years ago.”
Priti Luhadia (R) with community members and dignitaries at the 2021 India Independence Day celebration.
Priti Luhadia ran for an interim seat on Brockville City Council in November 2021, even though she had never been involved in politics.
“I put myself forward because I feel the need for diversity to be there, so that more people can engage and bring out their voices. People of other ethnicities are living in Brockville and have never been represented.”
While she didn’t make it to Council, Luhadia, a pharmacist who has been a Brockvillian for 20 years, has already made significant contributions to the city. “Our 2021 Indian Independence Day celebration was amazing. I helped organize the event outside the historic Brockville Court House. Our local MP and MPP participated, as did many other dignitaries.”
Her advice to newcomers considering the move to a smaller town is to embrace the Canadian experience. “I would absolutely recommend a smaller centre like Brockville to newcomers. To raise your family, this is one of the best places,” she says.
Luhadia says the one question she’s asked a lot is if she’s ever thought about living in Toronto or Brampton. While she admits getting vegetarian and Indian food would be easier, she says she can always hop on the 401 for the weekend.
Besides, she says embracing smaller communities gives you a better version of Canadian life. “If you’re in Toronto or Brampton or Montreal, you will be more into your own community, and you don’t get a full taste of what Canadian life is. Canadian life has a lot to offer to you as an immigrant and you can build that life and that dream that you came here for. Smaller communities will give you more opportunity to do a lot of stuff.”
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