 |
Quebec's Last Frontier
by Louise Bryce, Val-d'Or Historical and Genealogical Society
The young community of Val-d'Or, like all of frontier mining centres, attracted an unsettled population. These immigrant workers -- often bachelors -- moved from one mining camp to another quite readily. However, the atmosphere of uncertainty in the 1930s encouraged some to extend their period of employment with these companies. Quite a high level of worker-initiated turnover amongst mine workers still existed during the 1930s; as Guy Gaudreau has suggested, this phenomenon might have been "a form of silent protest … a protest against the poor working conditions." [unofficial translation]
In spite of these circumstances, Val-d'Or became the permanent place of residence of many workers of various nationalities participating in the local economy. The hotel industry was run mainly by French Canadians; Jews opened cinemas, department stores and pharmacies; the Chinese focused on the restaurant and laundry businesses; and Italians, like the Montemuro family, were pioneers in establishing grocery stores. Women, especially the Finnish, Ukrainians and Russians, also found a way to contribute to the family economy by renting out rooms or providing room and board. This responsibility was in addition to their daily work, and did nothing to improve their uncomfortable and quite rudimentary living conditions.
The people who chose to settle in Val-d'Or during the 1930s quickly organized activities, celebrations and gathering places for their various ethnic groups. The Ukrainians and Russian Orthodox groups built churches, while others formed national and political groups and organized fund-raising campaigns to build community halls. In addition, there were language schools, and traditional music, singing and dancing groups. The different communities did not all mix; on the contrary, their religious, political and language affiliations determined where and with whom they spent their time. As a result, the original residents of Val-d'Or from eastern Europe tended to mix with the anglophones from Britain or Ontario, rather than with the French Canadians, and registered their children in English-language schools; the pro-Communist Finnish and Ukrainians met in the same premises. Some French-Canadian miners even had to learn the rudiments of German or Polish to be able to work with their mining colleagues who often spoke little English and even less French.
|
