On a Saturday morning in the Cardinal home, dark-haired, pajama-wearing kids are snuggled on the couch. A voice pipes up, pointing at the TV, “Is that McDavid?” and the room bursts into excited chatter about the Oilers’ rookie.

It’s a cheery conversation, similar to many happening in Edmonton, giving no hint as to why the walls in the home are almost bare and the couch is one of the few pieces of furniture.

The family, Joy Cardinal and her seven children, aged five to 15, lost everything in a house fire just weeks earlier.

“That’s the worst call – ‘your house is on fire! Don’t know if your kids got out!’” says Joy Cardinal, remembering the phone call she received at work when her home was burning down.

On January 22, two of Cardinal’s children were at home with a babysitter when an electrical fire broke out in their house near 66 Street and 149 Avenue. Everyone did get out safely, but the family lost the house and all their possessions.

“The next morning we woke up with nothing,” recalls Cardinal.

The mother of seven works two jobs to provide for her family, but finding a home and replacing all of her possessions was not possible on her own.

Cardinal and her children were living out of a hotel immediately following the fire, when a friend connected her with Evelina Mannarino, a landlord and real estate developer who lives in McCauley.

“Evelina and her husband offered us this place,” says Cardinal, sitting at a large wooden table in her new home. “We came to look at it, took it, and they’ve been really gracious and helped us ever since.”

Mannarino says it was a “no-brainer” to offer her empty rental property on 95 Street to the family.

“I’m grateful to be able to help out,” says Mannarino.

Cardinal also received support from E4C, a local non-profit that helped pay her rent and damage, and took her to buy furniture for the new home.

Now, Cardinal says she’s taking it one day at a time as she and her kids try to get established.

“It was a traumatic, trying, tiresome experience. But it’s okay.”

Cardinal says her kids give her the hope to keep going. “Just be grateful – thankful. The kids are alive.”

Cardinal’s children are gathered around the table with her. They laugh as they split open a bag of microwave popcorn, sharing it with one another and a stuffed animal they affectionately refer to as Piggy.

The family says they’ve just started exploring their new neighbourhood. They love the Italian Centre and think Giovanni Caboto Park is beautiful.
Their landlord, Mannarino, says they already had the family over for dinner one night.

“I warned her, I said, ‘Once you move to McCauley you’re not moving out,’” says Mannarino, laughing. “Whatever you need, you just call your neighbour. We’re like a community, like a big, happy family here.”

Now, that family has eight additional members.

Anna holds a journalism degree from Carleton University, and has a particular interest in social justice issues.