Nour and Maysoun arrived in Winnipeg together with their daughters in 2012, as refugees from Syria through China and Macau. They swiftly integrated into life in Winnipeg and embraced every opportunity to learn and forge new relationships. They quickly became self-sufficient and Nour started his own company, Thank You Canada. The entire family became Canadian citizens in 2018. Nour envisioned, and created, the Kurdish Initiative for Refugees Inc. and he and Maysoun have taken active roles in communities of many faiths and cultures.
He was gregarious, expressive, empathetic, compassionate, full of life, a people-gatherer, and the life of every party. Helping others brought him great joy and satisfaction. Nour was regularly interviewed by the media for his extensive work in helping newcomers to settle in Canada. He was a strong advocate for newcomers, and an activist for human rights. He spent endless hours speaking to students in schools, at various public events, and working with numerous community groups.
Nour Ali passed on June 13, 2020. He is greatly missed by so many.
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
– Pericles