For his story is also the story of this place and our future. In important ways, he was Old Strathcona, as a familiar fixture plying the streets, auberges, shops and theatres of the city’s most vibrant neighbourhood. It was a natural fit, done with a broad grin.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, young Rahim travelled with his Ismaili family to Edmonton after the unspeakable regime of Idi Amin confiscated their business and home.
Entrepreneurial to the quick, the Jaffers made their stand in a strange new land in impressive fashion. For his part, Rahim quickly sussed out and took to Canadian life, earning a degree in social sciences at the University of Ottawa, which he took in French. Returning to Edmonton, he ran a coffee shop in Old Strathcona before successfully standing for the Reform Party in 1997, an MP at 25.
Ismailimail 