Several family members of Syrian refugees who lost seven of their children in a tragic fire last week are expected to arrive in Canada on Monday, the MP for the riding of Halifax has confirmed.
Andy Filmore said in a press release on Monday that he, along with the Minister of Immigration Ahmed Hussein, the Hants East Assisting Refugees Team (HEART Society) and several other community groups were able to secure visitor visas for the family of Kawthar Barho and Ebraheim Barho over the weekend.
“In difficult times, it is family that brings the greatest comfort,” Fillmore said in a statement.
“Following the tragic events on Quartz Drive last week, Kawthar has asked that members of her family be brought to Canada to support her.”
READ MORE: Halifax fire that claimed 7 children could prompt new safety measures
Seven children including; Ahmad, 14; Rola, 12; Mohamad, 9; Ola, 8; Hala, 3; Rana, 2 and Abdullah, who was born in Canada last year — died in the fire, which ripped through the home on Quartz Drive in Spryfield not long after midnight on Feb. 19.
The children’s father, Ebraheim Barho, remained in hospital recovering from extensive burns.
Their mother, Kawthar Barho, emerged from seclusion Saturday for a public funeral attended by 2,000 people.
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Fillmore, speaking before Question Period in Ottawa on Monday, said that the Barho family would like privacy as they continue to grieve and that they’ve asked for the names of their family members to not be made public.
He said that the arrival on Monday is only the first group of family members that officials with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have arranged visas for and that there are more on the way, between five and ten family members in total.
“This is the first group arriving today and we have work ongoing to bring other family members to support the Barhos as well,” said Filmore, adding that officials identified visitor visas as the “quickest path” to get family members to Canada.
Fillmore said the cost of the tickets are being covered by private individuals and organizations that have requested anonymity as they pay for flights and help with logistics.
The organizations will also help with providing lodging for the family members arriving in Halifax.
“This is really the community coming together and quite essentially a Canadian moment closing ranks and helping people out,” Fillmore said.
He did not offer specifics on how long family members will be permitted to stay under the visitor visa but said they will be staying long enough to assist the Barho family.
READ MORE: Details emerge about Halifax fire that killed 7
The Barho family arrived in Nova Scotia in September 2017 as refugees from war-torn Syria, among 1,795 Syrian refugees who have come to Nova Scotia in recent years.
The family had initially lived in the East Hants area, but moved to the home on Quartz Drive last fall. The Barhos were planning to return to East Hants and were planning to move this week.
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