Vancouver, Dec 29 (IANS): Tima Kurdi, aunt of the drowned Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, welcomed her brother's family to Canada, which marks "a new beginning and a new life" for her relatives fleeing the war-torn Syria.

Tima has two brothers, Abdullha and Mohammad. Abdullha is the father of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose photograph of lying dead on the beach galvanised the world around the refugee crisis. Mohammad arrived here on Monday with his wife and their five children, Xinhua reported.

"We are very happy, finally this dream comes true. We almost lost hope, but thank you to the Canadian government and Canadian people who made it happen," said Mohammad.

Tima, who lives in Port Coquitlam, a suburb city east of Vancouver, told a group of reporters gathered around the family at the airport that she was thankful to Canada.

"Thank you to the Canadian people. Thank you to Prime Minister Trudeau for opening the door and showing the world how everyone should welcome refugees and save lives," she said.

Tima said after the tragedy she had been trying to get her other brother Abdullha to join her in Canada but he declined to come.

She said she planned to get the children registered in school and have her brother work as a barber alongside her at a hair salon so as to start their new life.