When Elodie Postel first arrived in Canada from Guadeloupe in 2009, she imagined a future shaped by architecture, opportunity, and stability. Instead, within a year of moving to Montreal, her life was turned upside down.
Postel, an architect trained in Paris, had moved to Canada with her partner and young daughter after completing her studies and earning her professional credentials in France. But shortly after settling in Canada, the father of her daughter passed away unexpectedly. Suddenly, she found herself navigating grief, immigration uncertainty, and single motherhood in a new country.
“My daughter was three years old,” says Postel. “Everyone wanted me to leave Canada and go back home, but I decided to stay. Canada was always my dream.”
That decision would ultimately shape the creation of SOS Archis, a Quebec-based recruitment and workforce development company now expanding into Atlantic Canada with a launch event in Halifax on May 28.
Born and raised in Guadeloupe, Postel says architecture became her path early in life. She moved to Paris to complete her education and later immigrated to Canada hoping to continue her career in the field. While she eventually secured her architectural permit in Canada, she quickly realized that many immigrants and internationally trained professionals struggled to find meaningful work in their industries.
“A lot of people arrive here with experience, degrees and talent, but they cannot work in their specialty,” she says. “Sometimes they don’t have the ‘perfect diploma’ recognized here, and they end up feeling stuck.”
Postel began working within the construction and engineering industries across Canada before eventually founding SOS Archis. The company specializes in recruitment for construction, infrastructure, architecture, engineering and energy sectors, industries she says are facing major labour shortages while also struggling to retain workers.
According to Postel, the company’s mission extends beyond simply filling positions.
“We realized there are so many people who are unhappy in their jobs,” she says. “We try to match people with work they actually want to do and companies where they can grow.”
She describes the company as “matchmakers” between employers and workers, focused equally on employee well-being and company success.
Now, Postel sees Atlantic Canada, particularly Halifax as the next chapter for the organization.
The Halifax launch marks the company’s first major step outside Quebec, something Postel says was motivated by both economic opportunity and lifestyle changes that emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of people want another way of living now,” she says. “Coming from an island myself, the Atlantic feels different. There’s quality of life here.”
She believes Atlantic Canada presents opportunities not only for businesses seeking workers, but also for people in Quebec looking for a fresh start and a slower pace of life.
The Halifax launch event, taking place May 28 opposite the Halifax Central Library, will include a public activation and flash mob-style performance designed to introduce the company to the city in an unconventional way.
The Halifax leg of the activation is being supported by Ahtilos Marketing alongside members of Halifax’s arts and creative community.
Working with Ahtilos Marketing is Isabella Barker. She is a student, model, and the president of the House Of Soli Youth In Action Initiative. She says organizations stepping in to support Halifax’s arts community are becoming increasingly important as funding challenges continue to affect designers, models and creatives across the city. Barker says many people outside the industry only see the finished productions and runway shows, without understanding the financial and emotional strain behind them.
She says community-driven initiatives and partnerships help create opportunities while also breaking down the stigma around asking for help. “It’s important to know that it is okay to ask for help,” Barker says. “We need to create truth and transparency around these issues so that designers, models, people in the arts can have these opportunities.”
Barker also noted that many artists and creatives in Halifax balance their artistic passions alongside full-time work in industries such as construction, engineering and hospitality in order to sustain their careers in the arts. She says initiatives like the new recruitment partnership and job portal connected to SOS Archis could help bridge the gap between stable employment and creative ambitions.
“If we don’t create awareness the arts industry is going to cease to exist here in Halifax fashion… because there isn’t any funding,” Barker says.
Postel says the goal is to rethink how recruitment is done.
“We want people to see there is another way to hire and another way to recruit,” she says.
The launch also arrives at a time when many arts organizations and creative workers across Nova Scotia are navigating funding cuts, economic uncertainty and rising costs of living.
In recent months, artists, performers and creative entrepreneurs across Halifax have increasingly leaned on collaboration and community-led initiatives to sustain local projects and opportunities.
By combining public art, performance and recruitment outreach, organizers hope the launch can create conversations not just about employment, but about community-building and long-term sustainability within the region.
For Postel, the expansion into Halifax is about creating an impact.
“If we can help people find better opportunities and help companies build healthier workplaces, then we are doing something meaningful,” she says.
