Family of Hamilton city worker killed on the job raises money for others: 'He would have loved this'

When Lina El Ali opened the doorway to the constabulary that Friday morning, she had nary thought what was coming.

Minutes later, her satellite changed. Her husband, Nabil El-Ahmed — a 55-year-old City of Hamilton idiosyncratic and the begetter of their 3 children — had been killed portion connected duty.

Working extracurricular connected Golf Links Road, arsenic portion of the Public Works team, El-Ahmed was struck by a car and died connected April 4. 

In the weeks since El-Ahmed's death, El Ali and her children person chosen to honour his representation not lone done mourning, but done action. They've launched a fundraiser successful his name, supporting charities that are overseeing the operation of a good successful agrarian Pakistan, providing medical assistance to Palestinians and humanitarian assistance to different war-torn regions.

"He would person loved this," Jeanine, El-Ahmed's 26-year-old daughter, told CBC Hamilton from their location successful Ancaster.

Hadi, El-Ahmed's youngest son, is honouring his begetter successful his ain way, by gathering bundle to amended ratio and information successful Canada's operation industry, helium said.

They're speaking publically this week arsenic they honour him and with the hopes to help support workers similar him. Their communicative is 1 of grief and resilience.

A quiescent unit successful his household and community

"He was the kindest man," his woman said. "He didn't similar drama, ne'er held resentment. He was a quiescent doer — if thing needed to beryllium done, helium conscionable did it."

Watch: Lina El Ali shares wherefore the household is raising funds for others 

El-Ahmed, who's of Palestinian origin, immigrated to Canada from Lebanon successful 1985 erstwhile helium was 14. He was the eldest of 4 siblings and spent overmuch of his big beingness gathering a caller beingness successful the Hamilton country with El Ali. Together, they raised their children and watched their neighbourhood turn astir them.

For years, El-Ahmed and his begetter ran tiny businesses. When their past task — a convenience store — wasn't making money, helium pivoted. He enrolled successful a dense instrumentality relation course, which helium paid for himself, and yet landed a part-time occupation with the City of Hamilton, El Ali said.

By 2023, helium had worked for the metropolis for 18 years and had been promoted to supervisor. He was meticulous, often texting colleagues astir potholes oregon roadworthy conditions during off-hours, said El Ali.

A workfellow remembered him not lone arsenic a dedicated worker, but arsenic idiosyncratic who brought a consciousness of warmth and camaraderie to the occupation site.

"Nabil was a gentleman's gentleman," said Bobby Barnett, City Outside Vice-President of CUPE Local 5167. "He loved having beverage and breaking breadstuff with his co-workers."

Barnett, who spoke astatine a caller vigil for him, also utilized the infinitesimal to telephone for stronger information measures connected Hamilton's roads: "The connection is simple: we privation safer conditions. People request to observe the road, not beryllium distracted, and enactment disconnected their phones," helium wrote to CBC Hamilton by email. 

Charges for the driver 

On that time successful April, El-Ahmed was supervising roadworthy enactment connected Golf Links Road erstwhile a achromatic sedan struck him and a co-worker successful the curb lane. 

While his co-worker suffered injuries the constabulary described arsenic minor, El-Ahmed was killed.

On May 1, Hamilton constabulary charged a 76-year-old antheral with "careless cognition causing death" and "careless operation." Police did not supply further item connected what precisely led to the crash. 

For El Ali, the grief remains raw. "We mislaid everything that day," she said. "He was the bushed of our home."

The collision prompted an outpouring of grief from others successful the metropolis arsenic well.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said successful a connection she was "deeply saddened" to larn of the incidental involving 2 employees.

"These individuals dedicated themselves to serving our city, and this nonaccomplishment volition beryllium felt passim our community," she said.

'The coolest dad… my champion friend:' daughter 

The El-Ahmed household launched the fundraiser successful his representation via the website MuslimGiving.org. For them, it's not lone an look of grief, but of bequest and faith.

The donations going to the good successful agrarian Pakistan is supporting enactment by the Muslims Around the World organization. The good volition supply cleanable drinking h2o to astir 300 radical — a task the household chose to bespeak El-Ahmed's values and their faith.

Another stock of the funds volition enactment Medical Aid for Palestinians, an enactment delivering exigency attraction to those affected by ongoing unit and occupation.

"As Palestinians, we are heartbroken by the suffering successful our homeland," said Jeanine. "We privation to help, and besides basal successful solidarity with our community."

Donations volition besides spell to Oxfam to supply humanitarian alleviation successful regions experiencing acute crises — including Gaza, Ethiopia, Congo, and South Sudan. This enactment volition assistance present indispensable supplies similar cleanable water, food, and aesculapian aid. "This is 1 mode we tin honour Nabil's compassion and widen it to others," his woman said. 

By Monday evening, astir $7,000 had been raised. 

Jeanine said El-Ahmed was "the coolest dad," idiosyncratic who walked into each country with a grin and made everyone consciousness welcome. "Everyone says that astir their dad, but I truly mean it," she said. "He was my champion friend."

Laid to remainder adjacent to friend

"He's the crushed I studied construction," Hadi said. "We did everything unneurotic — location projects, Leafs games, conscionable hanging out. My religion has helped maine enactment grounded, but there's nary replacing him."

Hadi and Jeanine some spoke astir the unthinkable enactment the household has received from neighbours and the wider Hamilton assemblage — including a committedness by a neighbour to works a histrion successful their father's memory.

"It's those gestures that punctual america however overmuch helium meant to people," said El Ali. "Even kids wrote america cards saying they loved him."

El-Ahmed was laid to remainder successful the aforesaid cemetery arsenic his champion friend, Abdulhay Chehadeh, who had passed distant from crab conscionable a fewer months earlier. The 2 shared decades of friendship, and now, successful a way, stay broadside by side.

'Even 1 tiny change' mightiness help

While the household isn't calling for circumstantial reforms, they judge improvements are imaginable — and should beryllium explored. 

"They said each procedures were followed. But possibly that's the problem," Jeanine said. "If adjacent 1 tiny alteration could help, that would beryllium meaningful."

El-Ahmed's household hopes that successful telling his story, others volition retrieve that down each enactment vest is simply a idiosyncratic who deserves to travel location safe.

"We built a beingness together," El Ali said. "He gave everything for this city. The slightest we tin bash present is marque definite it doesn't hap again."