(Quebec) Friday noon in Quebec, on a small street downtown, Rodrigo Indarte activated. Ski goggles screwed on, shovel sled in hand, the man went out to clear snow despite gusts of more than 120 km/h that swept the capital, a record here for the month of December.
Posted at 5:00 am
For Rodrigo Indarte, snow is a party.
“As an immigrant, I quickly understood that if you want to be happy here, you have to tame the winter,” says the 51-year-old and father of two daughters. “And even at my age, it’s still magical to me. »
Born in Uruguay, he is entering his 19th winter in Canada. And he’s earned a small reputation on his street in Quebec’s Saint-Roch neighborhood: that of a relentless, cheerful shoveler, always ready to scoop stuck cars out of the snow or clear snow from a neighbor’s driveway.
For him, this predicted “monster” storm is less of an ordeal than an opportunity to be seized.
Me, it’s very oxygenating, my cheeks are red, it smells like heat. I do my exercises for the day. It’s an activity to do with the kids.
Rodrigo Indarte, who lives in Saint-Roch, Quebec
Rodrigo’s love of winter even piqued the curiosity of Uruguayan television, which came to Quebec a few years ago to document what the host saw as a very unique passion, muy fría. Rodrigo introduced her to Mont Sainte-Anne, where he likes to ski.
With his neighbors, Rodrigo has set up an informal snow removal committee, a kind of shovel club that meets every shift. “We talk to neighbors, we talk to kids, we all go out at once and we help neighbors who are stuck with their car. »
This year, Rodrigo’s mother is experiencing her first full winter in Quebec. She had spent a year and a half alone in her home during the pandemic, separated from her son and granddaughters.
So Rodrigo bought the neighbor’s small house, renovated it and sponsored his mother to leave Uruguay for good. On Friday, Elizabeth Fernandez knitted to the sound of the wind sweeping the street while waiting for snow.