 Back
Brazilians in Montreal
By: Rita Mercio | Sotaque Brasileiro #3, Winter 2003
The temperature in Montreal might currently be below zero with snow coming down hard but with the often-dreaded snow comes the most beautiful landscape scenery of the year. The white entirely lights up the Montreal nights.
The cold is no reason nor excuse for people to stay home; the city offers many worthwhile activities at this time of year.
Skiing is a very popular activity in the region of Montreal, and you will find the best slopes not only for beginners, but also for the experts in this sport. The most famous ski resorts are Station Mont-Tremblant, Saint-Sauveur, Bromont and Mont Orford, among others. After a day of skiing, there is nothing better than choosing one of the delicious local restaurants; after all, Montreal has over 4,000 restaurants of all imaginable nationalities.
Brazilians in Montréal can choose between many different ways of living the intense emotions that this region offers in the winter. Many parks have sledding tracks for adults and children alike, frozen lakes that turn into free ice skating rinks, and for those who want to escape the cold temperatures, it’s possible to go out and not freeze. Just go to the underground city in central Montreal; a 29 km long strip, complete with cinemas, restaurants, bars and more than 1,700 stores. Many people leave for work or fun without coats, with temperatures below 20º, they can easily take the subway directly connected to their buildings to the underground city.
Montreal has a particular charm with its diverse, modern architecture, without forgetting Old Montreal, where you can meet both friends and friendly people to enjoy the city's most charming bistros.
For those who want to taste the typical Brazilian barbecue within the city, visit "Le Milsa Steakhouse". The Brazilian, Milsa Farias, has been living in Montreal for the past 11 years with her Egyptian husband Sam, and with their shared passion for mouth-watering Brazilian barbecue, opened a steakhouse in the heart of Montreal that has become very popular. Le Milsa is so busy that on weekends it is necessary to make reservations a week in advance. It also offers performances of Brazilian dances such as samba and lambada. The owners have repeated their success with the opening of Le Milsa II in St-Sauveur and the Piano Bar Bozzo, also near the ski resort of St-Sauveur.
At Bayou Brasil Restaurant you will find several options of typical Brazilian dishes and it is an excellent choice for those who like our homemade food, like the feijoada.
For those who want to hear Brazilian music on Sundays, Les Bobards offers Brazilian night with local singers. As for the younger crowd, the Bar Momentos promotes "Brazilian night" on some Thursdays, to the sounds of axé, forró and samba.
For those who miss Brazilian products, check our website for information on where to buy them.
Brazilian Ana Teresa Bittencourt Freire, who has lived here for 14 years, opened a flower shop two years ago, "Le Porte Panier", and basically her clients are Quebecers. "I receive my clients with good humour, and always with Brazilian music in the background," says Ana Teresa.
Brazilians in Montreal and Quebec can even find imported Brazilian stones at La Marca Bijoux, owned by Sandra and Raoul Ortega, who offer services to sell, manufacture and repair your jewelry.
In the sector of language schools, Centre Linguista began to explore the Brazilian market 7 years ago and since then has had the help of the Brazilian Moira O'May. Among many nationalities the school receives per year, 8 to 10% are Brazilians. "The great advantage of the bilingual city, where the student normally comes with the purpose of learning only one language, is the fact that often they become interested in the second language. Another thing that really attracts the students to Montréal is the fact of being near the city of Quebec, Ottawa and several ski resorts," says Moira.
The presenter and singer Gilda Salomone began her career as a radio journalist in Centre Ville 7 years ago, making Brazilian programs with Edna Torquato, another Brazilian. Then she began presenting TV programs in French and for the past 3 years she has been presenting the program Onda Brasil on Luso Montreal, where she interviews many famous Brazilians who live here or abroad who came to Montreal for a conference or a concert. The program always keeps a space open for the Brazilian community. Sometimes the interviewees are Quebecers who love Brazil and speak our language; they are writers, singers, among others.
As a singer, Gilda performed in restaurants, bars, theaters, always defending the MPB. Today, she is more devoted to the classical music, where she participates in the chorus of Opéra de Montréal and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. An event she remembers with great affection was the party celebrating the 500th anniversary of Brazil, which also was attended by local Brazilian singers such as Paulo Ramos and Nico Beki, among others. "The show gave a big boost to Brazilian music in Montréal," says Gilda.
Brazilians who live here have the support of the Casa do Brasil, whose president is Maria Lucia Facchinelli. Casa do Brasil’s main objective is to promote the integration of the Brazilian community with local society, promoting social, cultural and leisure activities. It is a house where the Brazilians feel at home. It is a non-profit organization and its officers work on a volunteer basis. It all started in 1996 with a Portuguese school aimed to help the children of Brazilians in Montreal maintain our culture, our language and our Portuguese roots. In 1998 it was officially established in the Brazilian Consulate in Montreal. Since 2001 with its own headquarters, the house welcomes Brazilians and Canadians.
If we were to say who are the Brazilians who come to Montreal, we could cite many engineers who are invited to work here by large Canadian companies, like Bombardier, Alcan and SNC Lavalin, among others. Medical professionals come to do their masters, doctoral and postdoctoral, and many end up choosing to live in Montreal due to the safety that the city offers for their families.
Back |
