IMMIGRATE TO QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC
Satellite image: Quebec City
Quebec City or Québec is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. Quebec City is one of the oldest settlements in North America, and was the first to have been founded with the explicit goal of receiving permanent settlement, and not as a commercial outpost, and therefore is considered to be the first city in Canada, and North America. The culture and distinct European feel, with its stone buildings and winding streets lined with shops and restaurants, make Quebec City a popular choice for people wishing to immigrate to Canada.
Geography and Climate
The city itself is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, near the point where the St. Charles River meets the St. Lawrence. Popular attractions located near Quebec City include Montmorency Falls and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. The old world beauty and feel of Quebec city is a draw for many European emigrants looking to immigrate to Canada.
Summer days are usually pleasantly warm and sunny, ideal for outdoor activities. Summer nights can be cool though. The city usually revels in an 'Indian Summer' for a few weeks in early October, making autumn another popular season for visiting.
The annual average snowfall measures 4 metres. It has even been known to snow right up to early May. Temperatures drop below freezing from late November to early April.
Quebec City Immigration Profile
People that immigrate to Quebec City primarily come from a French speaking background. In terms of French-language dominance, Montreal - when compared to Quebec City, would be considered by many to be a bilingual city, with many of its residents having a working knowledge of both French and English. Quebec City and its surrounding region, on the other hand, is largely Francophone.
Unlike other Canadian immigration trends, the majority of Canadian immigrants settling in Quebec are not from Asia and the Middle East (13%). The majority of recent immigrants were born in Europe (34%) and Africa (28%).
During the period of 2001 to 2006 Quebec City became home to 8,440 new Canadian immigrants. The chart to the left shows the regions of birth for the recent immigrants according to the Canadian 2006 Census.
Education for Dependant Children and Post Secondary
Quebec City is the best place to receive an education in French; French speaking immigrants looking for higher education have a large variety of options. Quebec City has several French universities including, Université Laval, Université du Québec, École nationale d'administration publique, Institut national de la recherche scientifique and Télé-université.
A view of Quebec City from Laval University campus
Université Laval (Laval University) is the oldest centre of education in Canada, and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French. Its main campus is located on the outskirts of the historic city. Laval ranked among the top ten of Canadian universities in terms of research funding. Classified as a Medical-Doctoral university for its medical school and extensive graduate population.
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (French, National Institute of Scientific Research) is the research-oriented branch of Université du Québec. INRS conducts research in four broad sectors: water, earth and the environment; energy, materials and telecommunications; human, animal and environmental health; and urbanization, culture and society.
Université du Québec is a system of ten provincially-run public universities in Quebec. Its headquarters are in Quebec City. The École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP), or the National School of Public Administration, was established in 1969 by the Quebec government, as a way of obtaining professional public administrations. Télé-université was the first French language distance education university in the world and the only one in North America before it became a component of UQAM in June 2005.
French College level schools include, Cégep François-Xavier-Garneau, Cégep O'Sullivan, Cégep Limoilou , Cégep de Sainte-Foy and Collège Notre-Dame-de-Foy among others.
The province of Quebec has a different educational structure than other Canadian provinces. Families interested in immigrating to Canada with small children should review the education structure before making a final decision. Education begins at the age of 5 with kindergarten (maternelle) and grades 1-6 as elementary school (école primaire). These are divided into Cycle I (premier cycle) for grades 1-3 and Cycle II (deuxieme cycle) for grades 4-6.
Secondary School (école secondaire) is five years, called Secondary I-V (Sec I-V for short) or simply grades 7-11. This is also divided into two "Cycles" corresponding to junior high school grades 7-8 and senior grades 9-11. High school students who complete Secondary V obtain the governmental Diplôme d'études secondaires (DES).
Quebec has publicly funded French and English schools. Under the Charter of the French Language, passed in 1977, all students must attend French-language public schools except:
- children who have done most of their elementary or secondary studies in English elsewhere in Canada;
- children whose father or mother did most of his or her elementary studies in English anywhere in Canada; and/or
- children of Canadian citizens (Canada Clause) whose brother or sister did or is doing his or her elementary or secondary studies in English anywhere in Canada;
- temporary residents of Quebec;
- First Nation children;
who may attend publicly-funded English schools.
Schools not funded by the government (sometimes called Independent schools, e.g. Lower Canada College, as opposed to private schools which are subsidized in part) are open to all.
Since 2006, English is taught as a second language in French schools from Grade 1 onwards, and a few schools also offer English immersion programs for advanced students. English schools offer a wide range of programs that include French as a second language, French immersion, and fully bilingual programs that teach both English and French as first languages.
Notre Dame des Victoires Church, Basse-Ville
Arts and Culture
Quebec City's cultural scene is diverse, from the high aspects of opera and symphony to intimate boites à chansons, with their Celtic-tinged Québécois folk music. While there is some experimental theatre, much of the theatre tends towards the mainstream, with larger performances often consisting of light-hearted musicals. The best way for new immigrants in Quebec City to appreciate the culture, however, is during one of the large festivals, in which almost the whole city seems to become involved. A number of major cultural events will take place in 2008 to coincide with Quebec City's 400th anniversary.
Sports and Recreation
There have been discussions around getting a Canadian Football League team. Quebec City is expected to be in competition with Moncton and Halifax for the franchise. The local football team, the Rouge & Or of the Université Laval remains popular.
Hockey is a popular sport in Quebec City, despite the loss of their NHL franchise team, the Nordiques. Quebec City has been appointed (together with Halifax, NS) organizer of the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. The IIHF World Championships is the oldest existing international event in ice hockey.
Quebec City is the host of the Special Olympics Canada National Winter Games, held from February 26th to March 1st, 2008. This event will bring together over 1,000 athletes, coaches and mission staff members from Canada’s 10 provinces and 2 territories as well as more than 600 volunteers. Competitions will be held throughout the week in the following sports: curling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, floor hockey, figure skating and speed skating. The snowshoeing and cross-country events are to be held on the Plains of Abraham, one of Canada's most historic sites. The athletes selected for the Games will strive for a place in Team Canada’s training group at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Other popular sports teams in Quebec City include; Quebec Kebekwa of the American Basketball Association, Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Quebec Radio X of the Ligue nord-américaine de hockey, Quebec Capitales of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, and Quebec City FC of the Canadian Soccer League
