Despite statistics showing Saskatchewan struggles to retain newcomers, three immigrant business owners share their success stories and how the province helped them achieve their dreams.
Saskatchewan 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. But these three business owners say the Canadian dream is alive in the province.Robel Fessehaye Firay at one of his tailoring stores in Saskatoon. He came from a refugee camp and wanted to continue his father's tailoring legacy.
(CBC News)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.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 toImmigrants to the Prairies find housing search more difficult than the national average, survey finds 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.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.Asutosh Patel in his new car wash business in Saskatoon. Patel saved for years working at 7-Eleven before starting his own business. (CBC News) 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 easy to get the job over here in Saskatchewan,' he said.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.Gurpreet Singh at the yard where his Regina-based company has 12 trucks. He said Saskatchewan gave him the opportunity to make his dreams come true and now he's helping others get employment. (CBC News) 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.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 of
IMMIGRATION ENTREPRENEURS SASKATCHEWAN BUSINESS DREAM
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