Nadir Karamat, retiring station ambassador at Rouge Hill GO station, relaxes with coffee at Mr Beans.
By Kathryn Stocks
Nadir Karamat has a friendly personality and a glorious smile that makes it easy to chat with him. When I met him for coffee last month, I realized he has the ideal attributes for a man who has been a station ambassador at Rouge Hill GO for the past 25 years.
His journey with Metrolinx started in 1990, and from the start he found joy in serving customers. “That connection is what has kept me here all these years. It’s been a privilege to build such strong relationships with the passengers at Rouge Hill station,” Nadir noted. “If I have one regret, it’s that I didn’t start working with Metrolinx even earlier. The staff at Metrolinx are like family: caring, supportive and always ready to lend a helping hand.“
When he joined Metrolinx, Nadir started as a floater going from station to station. When he and his life partner, Mary Theresa O’Reilly, had their first child, Nadir took a weekend position at Metrolinx so he could care for the baby during the week. He continued in that role when they had another baby a few years later. When both boys were in school full-time, he accepted the position at Rouge Hill in 2000. “I chose the customer service position because I want to be with people,” Nadir said.
He used to work in the booth inside the station, but Metrolinx switched its employees from being behind the counter to being outside a few years ago. Nadir prefers it because he gets to interact more with the customers. “I feel that being behind the class isn’t personal.”
When he arrives for his shift, Nadir goes out to greet passengers. “You know, check to see if they need anything. They approach you if they need some help. Basically, the majority of people know me so it’s not difficult to approach them.” They talk to him about their home life, work life, marriage, children, pretty much everything. “You listen and try to be supportive,” he said. “I just want to be friendly. And I want to have people like me.”
Between trains, if he sees anybody in need of help, he goes over to assist them. Or he goes into the station and checks to see if there are any changes happening so he has an idea what’s coming up and can inform passengers.
One of the perks of working at Rouge Hill on his shift from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. is that Nadir gets to enjoy a lot of sunrises. He said the view is absolutely gorgeous. “Coming to Rouge Hill when the sun rises in the morning, oh my God, it is so beautiful.”
Nadir was born in British Guiana (now known as Guyana), the only English-speaking country in South America, and he came to Canada when he was 20. “The government was getting a bit difficult so my dad thought it was best for us to immigrate,” he said. There were 16 kids in his family and he was the eleventh. Some of his siblings moved to Canada first and then Nadir came with his parents in 1978.
Sadly, Nadir is now 68 and will soon be retiring. His last day working at Rouge Hill will be December 12. “Leaving is bittersweet,” he said. “But I do so with a heart full of gratitude and memories that will stay with me forever.”
If you’ve ever chatted with Nadir over the years, be sure to say farewell.