All Walks of Life - Mario Vianni

By: Julia Frid

Once again, I had the privilege of sitting down and getting to know another member of the English-speaking community from Trois-Rivieres. This time, an Italian, self-made business man who settled in the region in 2004.

Mario V, born and raised in Italy, has always been an ambitious and courageous man. At the age of 18, Mario moved to London, England, where he became a self-taught entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. At the height of his time there, he was managing several 5-star hotels and it was there that his future life in Quebec would begin to be drawn up.

In London, he met a vivacious woman named Jasmine who, as with Mario, was learning all that pertained to the hospitality business. Jasmine, who is from Bécancour, QC, was in London to learn. Having lived and worked in her parents’ hotel, Jasmine was keen to continue the family business and knew that she needed more experience.

It was here that Mario and Jasmine met and let’s just say, “The rest is history!”

In 2003, Jasmine brought Mario to the small town of Bécancour to meet her family, to see the business and it was here that Mario could see himself working alongside this beautiful lady.

In November 2004, the big move, and on December 1st, he and Jasmine bought the hotel from her parents. Together they worked non-stop and during this time, Mario was living a significant integration and transition period.

I asked Mario what had been the difficulties? What have been the challenges?

Mario explained that having already lived the experience of leaving Italy to make a new life in London, he knew what it was to change culture, to change language. So, for the move to Quebec, it felt easier for him.

Another intriguing remark that Mario mentioned was that for the business side of things, it was as though he combined his Latin-Italian side with this new Latin-French world. As well, he was trained in the British way of doing business in London, so here, the influences of the British system in Canada/Quebec were familiar to him. His transition was smooth.

With regards to receiving health services, this also seemed to come easy and was straightforward thanks to Jasmine and her family doctor and her family dentist. I am beginning to think that falling in love with a Quebecer is the easiest route to take! And how wonderful is the fact that after his first dentist retired, his new dentist became his best friend! Excellent service!

I am always surprised by the little nuggets of gold that each person I have spoken to offers, which broadens my perspective on what it is to integrate into Quebec’s culture. Mario had a very interesting take that I had not heard before. 

When I asked Mario if learning the French language had been his biggest challenge in moving here, he remarked that for him, language learning is secondary for integration. What he feels helped him to understand the culture and habits of Quebecers and of Canadians, was his insistence of learning just that—the culture and the habits! He went on to explain that by understanding what makes the culture happy and what makes the culture unique, these are the points which make integration much easier. Overall, it helped him understand the way of talking, the way of feeling, and the way of being. It was in this manner that he was able to become a “Quebecer.” So, no, it’s not just learning the language to make you feel that you belong, but rather getting to know what the people are all about. Mario also lightly touched on his time spent in Ottawa where he was able to feel the same influences and cultural traditions that he had felt in London. It was the same way of being and so he felt automatically “integrated” the times he visited and stayed in Ottawa.

I was grateful for this piece of wisdom that Mario gave me. I thought about my own experience and without having realised it beforehand, I must agree. The culture actually helped me feel more at home than the language ability, overall.

I continued this interesting conversation by asking Mario his feelings about an organisation such as CASE and what it means to English speakers. Mario was forthcoming with a question back to me that made me stop and think. Mario asked me if I knew how many times he had searched “immigration, Trois-Rivieres” and had never found anything that spoke of help for English speakers, such as CASE.  

“OH! I’m sorry” I replied. He laughed and said, “No, no, no…but there needs to be more exposure. More publicity to make people aware that you exist.” I explained that CASE was founded in 2017 and so he would not have found it in 2004 but the point had been made. Newcomers, looking to integrate more easily, often look for services and help from the English-speaking community. I can’t help but believe that if we continue to work as an organisation that ensures the availability of cultural activities, I am certain more newcomers will find their integration much easier even many years after their initial arrival to the region.

Mario went on to say that for the first ten years of his life in Quebec, his “friends” were his clients at the hotel and his other businesses. He had not made any true friends because he had been extremely busy which didn’t allow for much of a social life. However, ultimately it was the little to almost no opportunity to speak English (which remains his second choice after Italian) with anyone, which remains his preference. Today, Mario works in French and has good friends who are Francophones but still, there remains a part of him seeking to find English for his well-being.

Today Mario is the “directeur générale” of a large seniors’ complex which is home to autonomous and semi-autonomous residents. He feels it is like running a large hotel so he is at ease. He has since parted ways with Jasmine; however, like other couples, have been able to live as friends and are raising a beautiful son as a team.

Mario, for me, is a what resilience and innovation is all about. He is an Italian. He respects culture and the role of mothers. He likes his espresso and he is a traveler. But at the heart of this kind man is a person who embraces life, challenges and all, and finds it all, as he says, “Brilliant!”

Thanks, Mario, for making a difference in Trois-Rivieres, for having chosen our beautiful corner of the world to settle and now for taking care of seniors at your beautiful residence! We wish you good luck and hope to see you more often for our cultural activities and events!