THUNDER BAY – Four years after being displaced from their Syrian home, the Toubaji family is ready to start a new life.
The family of four, privately sponsored by Redwood Park Church, arrived in Thunder Bay on Wednesday afternoon and were greeted by a community delegation at the Thunder Bay International Airport.
“I’m very happy to be here. For me, at first it was a dream and now the dream came true. I still don’t believe I’m in Canada,” Zaher Toubaji said through a family interpreter moments after landing.
The Toubaji family, which also includes wife Nisreen and daughters Hadeel and Sama, were forced to flee Syria more than four years ago after their town was bombed.
They ended up in Lebanon in a suburb of Beirut, where they lived in a one room apartment with Zaher and Nisreen not legally permitted to work and Hadeel and Sama not allowed to attend school.
The Toubajis are cousins with the Hatoum family, who live in Thunder Bay after arriving from Lebanon.
“Having family here makes it a lot easier. The cultural shock will be easier for us to adjust because we have family here and it’s like coming to a second home now,” Zaher said.
Mahmoud Hatoum said he and his wife Daghrid are ecstatic to have the family arrive after the formal two to three month application process.
They will host the Toubaji family for the first few days before they move into an apartment.
“We’re very, very excited and at the same time we are very happy for them to come here to Canada and be safe in this beautiful country,” Hatoum said, adding he’s excited to show the Toubaji family the city and local landmarks like Kakabeka Falls, Mount McKay and the Sleeping Giant.
The process to sponsor the Toubaji family was spearheaded by Redwood Park Church and their refugee settlement committee, who raised $35,000 and moved the application forward.
Annika Pretchuk, Redwood Park Church pastor of adult ministries, said it was heartwarming to see two dozen people welcome the family to their new home.
“I just love seeing our community step out and do things for others and be so welcoming of people of other ethnicities into our city,” she said.
The family expect to be joined by eldest daughter Ghina and her husband Mohammad in the coming weeks.
Daughters Hadeel, 19, and Sama, 13, are looking forward to resuming their education and Zaher said he hopes to be put to work as soon as possible.
As for one other adjustment, the Canadian winter, it is already being seen as a positive.
“I really, really like the snow. It’s very beautiful. The fresh air is nice to breathe in and the snow, when I look at it, reminds me of peace,” Zaher said.
