Immigrant developers prepared to convert former Toronto Hydro building into a refugee shelter

Two cousins have come forward to help refugees and try to reduce their plight. Hailing from war-torn Iran in the 1980s, they are aware of the ill effects of war, and they want to provide the newcomers with a home in case they have nowhere else to go. Toronto now has its first refugee shelter, and it is open for use because of these two Iranian-Canadian immigrants.

Hamid and Hessam Ghadaki used to work for the development company that bought the old Toronto Hydro building back in 2018. They had the opportunity to lease the space to other ventures, which would have been more profitable in the long run. However, they decided to forego their own chances of profit and decided to do some good for the community instead. Lending the space to refugees is a cause that they support, and it also hits close to home for them because of their association with war from a young age.

Both the cousins were young children living in Iran when the Iran-Iraq war was raging in the 1980s. While Hessam’s family left the war-torn country when he was a toddler, Hamid was eight by the time his family came to Canada. Hamid can vividly remember the bombings that took place in the Iranian capital city, Tehran, in the year 1988. A large number of people, including his family, were made to evacuate the city because of the unsafe atmosphere.

Hamid, in an interview with CIC News, said that he felt fortunate to arrive in Canada when he did. Now, he wants to help others and welcome them into the country that he had begun to treasure. Hessam also gave his input saying that when they found that the City was looking for space similar to the building they had purchased, they realized that this was a great opportunity.