Olivier and Florence  Durand

Immigrated to Onanole, Manitoba in the  2008

They are originally from France

 In the Winter  of 2008 they got married in an igloo Olivier built in their backyard.

They became permanent residents this Spring.

When did you emigrate?
We migrated in May 2009 after having lived and worked in the country for 2 years prior to that.

Why did you decide to emigrate and why Parkland, MB?
We migrated in order to reach a balance in life that we couldn’t get in our home country, in terms of quality of life, dynamic of employment, and environment. We feel that we belong to the Parkland because this is where we can live the way we like.

What did you find most challenging?
The most challenging part of the migrating process was definitely to live with the fear that our wish to settle in Canada might not be granted even though we started to get attached to the place and the people during the two years of the administrative procedure. Our mind and heart was set on migrating way before we were granted the right to do so, and we didn’t have a plan  "B".

How did moving to this community change your life?
After 5 years of living on the move, on short term plans, we can now work things out on the long term. We can grow roots and make friends without dreading to have to leave everything behind once again. We can finally enjoy our new way of life in full and get to know the country and the people for good, and over time we’ll be able to share this with our family when they come for a visit.

What do you do to become involved in the community and meet new people?
We don’t feel like we ‘do’ anything special about it really, it does just ‘happen’ as we spend time in the community. We both work as servers in the only year-round restaurant of the area, so we meet a lot of people from all around on the job.

What is it that you like about the area – the community, services available, the people and so on?
Here in Onanole we escape the pressure and rush of the city-life and we have more time available for ourselves. We can retreat in the many back-country campsites of the Park anytime or drive to the nearby cities on demand. We find it easier to socialize in a smaller community and always feel welcome. “Welcome to Canada” is the usual answer when we tell our story to the guest that we serve in the restaurant.

What would you tell someone from another country that was thinking about moving here?
Start your application right away, and then come to live and work in the country as temporary resident. You can give up your application anytime if you change your mind, and you’ll be glad you started early if you stick to the plan!