Latin American community growing in Saskatoon according to members

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SASKATOON – Jorge Ortiz and his wife Linda spent a portion of one recent afternoon making a tortilla dish in their Stonebridge area condominium. They represent two members of Saskatoon’s Latin American community, which they say is growing fast.

“Since I came to live in Saskatoon, I’ve seen the community grow, just by people participating in mass and people participating in the gatherings that we have,” said Ortiz, who is originally from Mexico and spent time in Arizona, before moving to Saskatoon in 2010.

He and his wife attend a Spanish language mass at St. Mary’s Parish on 20th Street West and say they used to be two of roughly 20 attendees each Sunday.

“It varies,” said Ortiz of the number of worshipers now attending the service.

“From 60, sometimes we have 80; sometimes we have 100 depending on the day,” he added.

Saskatchewan is marking the fortieth anniversary of enacting multicultural legislation. Canada will welcome roughly 250,000 new permanent residents in 2014, according to the federal government. Some come to Saskatchewan because of its economic opportunity.

“Everybody is looking to go where the opportunities are,” said Ortiz, who is a civil engineer.

“People can find a job, find a life in here, it’s a city of big opportunity,” said Maru Aguirre, who was raised in Colombia, but moved to Saskatoon almost a decade ago.

“When I came here, I never listened to somebody talking in Spanish on the street or in the mall or something, now it’s more often than ever,” said Aguirre, who co-founded Alerces Spanish Preschool & Kindergarten in Saskatoon.

The increase in Latin Americans may soon extend to the University of Saskatchewan.

Roughly 70 students from the region are currently enrolled in the university, which is a number that’s expected to rise. In an email, one communications official said that enrollment interest from Latin American students “has increased noticeably over the past four years and is expected to grow.”

Merchants around the city are also taking notice. EE Burritos on 22nd Street West serves as both a restaurant and a small grocery store, which stocks hard to find ingredients from the region.

“I consider the store really important, because the connection to home is really important to people,” said Kathleen Lipinski, who co-owns the restaurant and store.

“They’re coming in and saying, wow, I haven’t had this for two years or three years because I had it at home and I can’t get it anywhere else,” she added.