On March 8, 2026, the traditional Festival de la Banquise was held in Portneuf, returning for its 7th edition. Accès Travail Portneuf invited Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) from the region. About ten of them were able to discover this spectacular event under a magnificent winter blue sky, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Participants were able to discover the ice floes of the St. Lawrence and enjoy the spectacle of the canoe race. The event also allowed them to meet for a friendly moment and discover new traditions of Quebec.
We had the opportunity to speak with Leopoldine, a TFW originally from Cameroon who arrived in Canada about a year ago. Her journey was not easy at the beginning, as her training as a préposée aux bénéficiaires was far from her place of residence, but her determination and resilience allowed her to overcome the obstacles. Today, she is very happy to have integrated into the seniors’ home in Portneuf, where 8 seniors benefit from her kindness and availability. This March, her children and her husband will join her, marking an important step in her process of integration and adaptation to the country.
The activity also made it possible to provide a space for information and support. During the activity, Nicolas Bellier, Project Director of InfoTET at Immigrant Québec, presented the InfoTET Québec program and distributed the information guide for TFWs, providing practical tools on rights, obligations, and available resources. This exchange made it possible to answer questions, listen to participants’ experiences, and better understand their realities, thus reinforcing InfoTET’s mission to provide clear and useful information to TFWs during their stay in the province.
Finally, InfoTET would like to thank the PSTM collaborators of ’Accès Travail Portneuf, and particularly Samuele Seri, who had organized this event, whose commitment and dedication were essential to the success of this activity, as well as all the participants who contributed to making this day a moment of learning, enjoyment, and enriching encounters.
