Syrian family's reunion with grandfather delayed

The first family of Syrians to arrive in Sudbury will have to wait a little longer to be reunited with the grandfather they had to leave behind in a refugee camp in Lebanon.

Nilgiri Pearson, with Lifeline Sudbury, confirmed in an email Monday that the grandfather of the Qarqoz family is still in the Middle East.

“He was unable to fly due to medical reasons,” Pearson said.

When the Qarqoz family arrived in Sudbury on New Year's Eve, they expressed a mix of happiness to be here, and sadness they had to leave their 80-year-old grandfather behind. The father told reporters it was the family's most pressing concern.

"The first thing he wants is his dad to come here," said Abdul Hak Dabliz, Imam of the Sudbury Mosque, who acted as the translator for the family first's media interview.

The Canadian government issued the family – mother, father, and three sons – the equivalent of temporary passports so they could leave Lebanon for Canada. But for some reason, one wasn't provided for the grandfather. That issue has been worked out, and he was expected to arrived in Toronto on Sunday and continue to Sudbury today.

But that has been indefinitely delayed until the medical issue is resolved.