-Canada? But if it’s really cold there and there’s hardly anyone around…

Anyone who has migrated or even considered migrating to the North American country has surely heard this type of comment from someone you talk to.

And it is also very likely that the person in question has mentioned that one of the advantages of going to live there is the subsidies or aids offered by the government.

But what about what is true and what is not. We at BBC Mundo analyze three myths about migration to the land of moose and maple honey.

1. Is it so cold and unbearable?

The answer is yes and no: yes it’s cold and it’s not necessarily unbearable.

In Canada, winter is long and often snowy, but there are several factors to consider before making generalizations.

The first thing is that the climate is not the same in all regions. Canada is the second largest country by land area, after Russia, with 9.98 million square kilometers stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

for this reason time varies depending on the location of each placeits proximity to the coasts and the North Pole.

The coldest winters, for example, “occur in the center of the country, in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, because they are farthest from the oceans which, since they do not freeze, help to keep the slightly warmer coasts”. Phil Austin, associate professor of atmospheric science at the University of British Columbia, tells BBC Mundo.

On the other hand, on the west coast, where Vancouver is located, the winters are less cold and with less snow.

“In Vancouver, the wind is from the west and it’s the Pacific Ocean that never freezes, so it blows over warmer waters. The only time there are real snowstorms is when the wind comes from the Arctic and brings very cold air, which is rare,” he adds.

The places with the most unfavorable climate are in the north of the country, where the provinces of Yukon and the Northwest Territories are located, which, due to their proximity to the Arctic, are very cold, have a lot of snow and darker days.

Another important factor regarding winter is the amount of sunlight one has access to, since Just because it’s colder doesn’t mean the days are darker.

The question then becomes, which one prefers: less snow and at the same time less light, or a lot of snow and a clear sky.

“In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, for example, you can have very bright days with clear skies and the sun reflecting off the white snow, while in Vancouver there is hardly any snow during the winter. , but you don’t see much sun either.”, explains the professor.

“It depends a lot on people’s personality type, whether someone prefers sunny days or if their mood is affected by very gray days.”

And finally, you have to consider that winter is part of Canada’s infrastructure, culture and way of life of those who live in this country, it is therefore far from being a factor of paralysis or confinement.

Heating is available everywhere, towns that often have snowfall have snow removal systems to avoid roadblocks, and there are many internally interconnected places so you don’t have to walk down the street.

This is the case of the Montreal metro which, in various stations, is connected to shopping centres, educational establishments and government offices by passageways.

Added to this is the culture of winter sports; children, for example, often learn to play different sports from an early age and thus have various options for outdoor recreation during the cold months.

“For someone like me, who immigrated from the United States 30 years ago, it was amazing to see how important hockey is in Canada. It’s really almost a religion and that’s why they celebrate and set up rinks in parks and in the backyards .. of homes,” Austin says.

“They really make winter a crucial part of who they are.”

An example of this that Austin mentions is the great skating rink that is becoming the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, the nation’s capital.

With 7.8 kilometers and free access, it offers fun and alternative trips around the city center.

2. There is no one

Since Canada has had a regulated immigration policy for several decades, with which it seeks above all to attract labour, the belief has spread that it is an unpopulated country, in which there is a lot of land and few people.

But that’s not entirely true.

“Canada’s problem is not the size of the population, but its structure; that is, it is not a problem of the number of people, but of the conformation of the population in terms of age”, explains Diva Marcela García, doctor in demography from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

This is explained by the fact that the country “has a low birth rate, so there are fewer people in the early stages of life, while mortality occurs later thanks to its high level of quality of life and access to health to the universality of its population”. these two factors make it a country with a very old population,” he added.

It is In Canada, there are people of all ages, but there are more people over the age of 65 than children growing up..

This becomes evident when looking at the fertility rate, an indicator that measures the number of children a woman has in her lifetime.

“The overall replacement rate is 2.1 children per woman, the estimated number needed to ensure the sustainability of the population. In Canada, the number of children per woman has been below 2.1 for at least 20 years,” says Garcia.

According to United Nations data, this figure is currently 1.47 in Canada. So the country’s strategy is to attract migrants of working age and reproductive resources that contribute to the growth of the young population in the medium and long term, while contributing to the productive and pension system.

3. They give money

The first thing to clarify is that the notion of “gift” is problematic and imprecise.

What people usually refer to is subsidies that migrants can access, but which are not necessarily money and are subject to different factors.

Canada is divided into provinces and each has a local (provincial) government which is autonomous, so it manages its own budget.

In this way, depending on where the migrant lives, he will have access to the help offered there, if there is any and his profile qualifies to receive it.

“Generally, it’s not that there are direct economic subsidies for migrants in Canada,” says Alejandro Hernández, PhD in sociology from Carleton University.

“On the contrary, Canada, since the 1990s, has supported integration through third parties. It selects agencies that promote integration and settlement services in the provinces and communities. The budget must be continuously requested and renewed by these agencies.

The most common services are generally support and advice to enter the world of work.

Those who migrate receive, for example, help with organizing their documents such as a CV and letter of intent, as well as training to refine their profile and prepare for selection processes. In this case, the beneficiaries do not receive any money.

The case of Quebec, the French-speaking province which is also the only one to have total autonomy in its regulation of migration, is particular.

There “there is direct support for immigrants, which is called francization and which is more linked to a nationalist question and to the domination of French”, adds Hernández.

As in this territory there is an interest in keeping French as the first official language (English is also), if the migrant studies French full-time and in person, “he can receive 205 $ CAN (about 150 $US) per week, plus transportation support,” Hernandez said.

To enter this program, the migrant must meet a series of requirements and must commit to respecting the obligations of the academic program. It should also be taken into account that the amounts and conditions of this program may change depending on the government in place.

Another type of help that some organizations provide is legal advice and translation of documents for those who need to validate their title.

There are also supports focused on adapting to winter which offer snow sports courses, at more affordable prices for new migrants.

It is also possible to find programs and institutions that manage furniture or clothing donations to make life easier for newcomers, but again, people have to register for these types of programs and pass certain filters.

Finally, it is important to clarify that those who are permanent residents in Canada can access other types of subsidies offered by the government to the general population, and not exclusively to migrants.

This is aid for studies, for alimony or for people in a precarious economic situation.

These supports vary for each province and certain filters and conditions have been established that those who access them must comply with.

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ANDRE DIAZ CARDONA

BBC NEWS WORLD