n a boardroom at Phoenix Truck and Crane in Coquitlam, 36-year-old Mohammed Chikh Neameh smiles broadly and talks about the emotional relief he feels on the first day of his new job.
It's been a long journey since Chikh Neameh left his home in Damascus, a journey fraught with fear for the safety of his wife and children. For three years, he tried to make a living as a restaurant worker in Jordan, but when the United Nations High Commission on Refugees offered him a chance to re-settle in Canada he jumped at the opportunity, after first looking up Canada on Google Maps.
Now, as he contemplates a future working first as a yard man and later possibly as a crane rigger at Phoenix, the young father feels he can finally relax.
"Here you have hope, you can learn," said Chikh Neameh as he nods to his new boss, Bill Dick, who has taken the Syrian man under his wing.
Dick, who started his company 25 years ago, said he believes his newest employee has what it takes to be a successful worker. He first spotted Chikh Neameh in a news broadcast after the Cottonwood fire.
"I want people to know that the Syrians out there are very bright, intelligent people and they are learning English," said Dick, who expects his new worker to be properly trained in the latest safety standards as well as forklift operation.
It was during the days after the Cottonwood fire when Chikh Neameh, his wife, and two children, aged four and 18 months, fled their burning Coquitlam apartment building on the morning of July 28, that he was introduced to his new employer.
At the time, the family was trying to find housing in the Tri-City area after spending a few days at SFU and then at Welcome House in Vancouver. Now that the former shwarma cook has found housing for himself and his family in Port Coquitlam, he's ready to take on his new job.
He's even learning to drive and has his L.
But the benefit of having a job goes beyond a steady income, Chikh Neameh said: more money will enable him to put his children in day care for awhile so his wife can learn English, and, now that he has a job, he feels he is more of a contributing member of Canadian society.
"The people here, they have a good community and beautiful smiles."
On Saturday, he joined the Phoenix Truck and Crane staff for a paddle wheeler cruise and appreciation event, a chance to make friends with his new co-workers.
Dick, meanwhile, sees the young man as someone who will be an asset to his company. The long-time Tr-City businessman would like to challenge other companies to hire Syrian refugees and will even offer to make introductions.
"These are people who want to work," Dick said.
• To find out more or to receive an introduction, contact Lora Covinha, general manager, at [email protected]
