2025 Welcoming Ottawa Ambassadors

June 13, 2024, is a day Nabila Melzi will never forget. She arrived in Canada from Algeria with her sister Nawel and immigrating through the express entry program. They had been accompanied to Montréal by their brother Nassim, who lived in France. After exploring the city, they headed to Ottawa three days later. While she looked forward to the opportunities this bilingual community would bring, she didn’t expect all the challenges ahead.

“As soon as we set foot on Canadian soil, reality hit us hard: no family, no friends, no job, and no place to live,” remembers Nabila. Questions started flooding their minds, and clarity gave way to confusion.

“Finding housing was our greatest worry,” adds Nabila. Initially they stayed two weeks in an AirBnb, then a real estate agent found them an apartment. But after only two months, their landlord needed the space for his family who were coming from overseas. The sisters wondered how they would secure a place to live without jobs, credit history, and knowing no one in the city.

Luckily their landlord introduced them to Denis Saumure, a retired teacher with a heart of gold. “Without dwelling on formalities, Denis welcomed us into his home and his life,” explains Nabila. “He accepted to rent us a room without the difficult conditions of most rentals. Denis treated us like family, with incredible kindness and generosity.”

Why did Denis go out of his way to help two strangers? Fundamentally it comes down to life lessons taught to him by his French-Canadian family growing up in the rough and tumble neighbourhood of Mecanicsville.

“I tried to make the transition easier for them,” explains Denis. “I like to help others. I’m inspired by my exceptional parents. Although they had 10 children, they always welcomed friends and others into their home. My parents were incredibly open minded and didn’t judge others. Although they weren’t wealthy, they were rich with time and love.”

Denis’ father had a moving business and once a month didn’t charge a customer. Following in his father’s footsteps, Denis didn’t charge to help the sisters to move.

Denis chuckles when he reminisces about his mother bringing her homemade apple pies to the local bikers, who in turn protected his family.

“It didn’t matter where people were from, my family showed them generosity,” adds Denis. His mother who had been a nurse before having her children, later worked at a local restaurant and befriended a lonely man who had recently immigrated from the UK.

Growing up in a tight knit family, he often saw gestures of solidarity. “My family was a model for how I would live my life,” adds Denis.

His grandparents adopted an abandoned child even thought they had nine children of their own. In their farming community, everyone helped to build each others’ barns. They embraced the golden rule in their Catholic faith, which states “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”

Although his parents have passed away, he knows they would have loved Nabila and Nawel.

Almost a year after welcoming the sisters into his home, Denis is struck by how far they have come, especially in learning English. Their mother tongue is Arabic and they already spoke French as a second language.

Teaching was always in Denis’ blood. Growing up he taught his younger siblings, often playing school. During the pandemic, he retired from a long career as a French immersion teacher but recently went back to part-time teaching in Québec.

His skills in teaching a second language came in handy. “I really encouraged them to speak English and stressed how important it was to become bilingual,” explains Denis. “It was easy for them to revert to French with me. Now we sometimes speak English together.”

“Denis often brings us short stories, which are both educational and full of life lessons, and enrich our vocabulary and thinking,” remarks Nabila.

At a garage sale, he bought her a copy of the Robert Munsch book, “Love you Forever”. Nabila shed tears reading it (as anyone who has read it knows will definitely happen). So, they decided to find joy and laughter in learning to sing “Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink” by Sharon, Lois and Brahm.

Opening up his home wasn’t second nature for Denis. “I’m a shy, timid person, so it wasn’t easy for me to do this, but I realized that I needed to come out of my shell,” he explains. Nabila is also a little reserved like him, but they click together.

His help extended beyond learning a second language. He toured the sisters around, showing them the Rideau Canal and how to take public transit.

What better way to introduce people to a new culture than through food? “Denis makes fantastic soup, especially soupe à l’oignon gratinée!” exclaims Nabila. “He makes scones and shares other treats with us.”

“I can’t eat a whole cake by myself!” chuckles Denis, who learned his cooking skills and the joy of sharing food from his mother.

They have also introduced Denis to Algerian food, notably couscous and beet and cabbage salads. “The kitchen smells so good with them living here. It’s a great joy to host them!”

A self-described person who is a bit sloppy at home, the influence of his roommates makes him tidier.

“He gave us the stability needed to start our new life,” remembers Nabila. “Denis helped to immerse us in Canadian culture. His generosity has shown us that we made the right choice in coming here.”

“To me, Denis is a true ambassador of Canada and the values it stands for,” concludes Nabila. “Ottawa is lucky to count him among its citizens.”