These 3 immigrant success stories show the Canadian dream is still alive for some in Saskatchewan
Data, survey suggest Sask. struggles to retain newcomers
This story is part of Welcome to Canada, a CBC News series about immigration told through the eyes of the people who have experienced it.
Robel Fessehaye Firay points to the desk in Tina's Tailoring Service where he started his first sewing job 15 years ago. At the time, he was a recent refugee to Canada from Eritrea and had nothing to his name. Now he owns not only Tina's Tailoring Service, but also two other sewing shops in Saskatoon.
"I am from zero," he said. "[I went] from zero to hero."
Firday said he was driven to carry on his family's tailoring legacy. He worked as a janitor and at a sewing shop to save up money to launch his own tailoring business.
Refugees are able to access government support for up to a year, but he said after three months he had enough work to support himself.
While Firay has made a life and a home for himself in Saskatchewan, the province has struggled compared to other provinces to retain newcomers arriving from other countries, according to Statistics Canada data and a recent Pollara survey commissioned by CBC.
In that survey, a little more than 1,500 adult Canadian residents answered questions online between Nov. 1 and 18, 2024. They all arrived in Canada in the past 10 years. Margins of error cannot be calculated for surveys that come from online panels, but for comparison purposes, a probability sample of 1,507 would carry a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent.
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To read more about CBC's immigration survey, the methodology, and its results, visit cbcnews.ca/welcometocanada.
Almost two-fifths of respondents to CBC's survey who still live in the province they immigrated to said they are likely to consider moving to another province. The number was even higher in Saskatchewan, although the sample size in the province was small, so the comparable margin of error is much higher than for the country-wide survey results.
Meanwhile, Statistics Canada data says only half of immigrants admitted to Saskatchewan in 2017 were still living in the province five years later, down 16.4 percentage points from 2013, the sharpest decrease among all provinces and territories.
Leaving for better opportunities
Asotosh Patel said he understands why immigrants choose to leave Saskatchewan, especially when their work experience is not recognized here.
He came to the province in 2019 under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, which selects newcomers with skills and experience in occupations that are in high demand in the province. He said some professionals, even those admitted through this program, can find it frustrating finding work in their field.
"Software engineers, software developers … they are not [finding it] easy to get the job over here in Saskatchewan," he said.
"Then they change their cities. They go to Toronto or, like, Calgary."
Patel said he saw the potential to own a business in Saskatchewan. He saved up while working at a 7-Eleven for three years, while building his management experience.
"So in the future, if you get a chance, we can buy the convenience store, a gas station or something like that," Patel said.
He said Saskatchewan's comparatively low cost of living makes saving money easier. He recently launched Orange Car Wash, and while his start-up costs were almost double what expected due to inflation and high interest rates, he feels it was still more affordable here than elsewhere.
'It was always my dream': business owner
Gurpreet Singh, who owns a trucking company, said he achieved his dream of setting up a business while living in Saskatchewan.
"Many people on social media say Canada is not like it used to be. But I think if you are a hard worker, there's everything in Canada," Singh said. "It's like a dream come true because I just needed an opportunity and Canada gave me that."
He immigrated to Ontario in 2018 as an international student and later found a job in Saskatchewan that helped him obtain his permanent residency.
"The cost of living was much better than Ontario, especially Toronto," Singh said.
Singh started his company with just one truck.
"It was always my dream to do business instead of working for someone else," he said. "In 2023, when the economy was at the bottom, I was not making enough money…. I had a friend and we started our own thing."
Getting work as a new company was difficult at first, but Singh said he stuck with it and worked hard.
Now, with 12 trucks operating for his company, he feels like his hard work has paid off. He said he doesn't plan on leaving Saskatchewan and it feels like home, with its vast flat fields similar to those around his hometown of Punjab, India.
Help for newcomers
Laura Mock, director of the Regina-based tech incubator Cultivator, said starting a business is difficult for anyone and newcomers face additional challenges..
"A lot of times they're coming independently, they don't have support systems," she said. "They've spent so many resources to get here that they might be operating from a place of just not having as many resources."
She said incubators like hers try to help entrepreneurial people by creating networks and support systems.
"If you're scrappy and resilient and tenacious and you have a good idea, you can build your own success. You are kind of the master of your own destiny," she said.
Newcomers who launch businesses can become part of a cycle driving more entrepreneurial investment and success, she said.
"The more diversity you get, it drives innovation," she said. "So we love diversity of thought."
Giving back to the province
Patel, Firay and Singh all said they've invested in Saskatchewan. While some newcomers may be packing bags to seek economic opportunities, they've found them here.
"The government [brought] me here, and second, the people of Saskatchewan help me to come here. I'm established here, I'm growing, why [would I] move?" Firay said.
He now hopes to give back by training others in sewing at the Global Gathering Place in Saskatoon.
As for Patel, it's early days for his business. He said there are times when he wonders if he and his family can make their vision a success. But they've kept their faith for years and don't plan to lose it now that the business is a reality.
"We have the dream and it feels like it's come true."
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