I'm really sorry you weren't able to open the accountWell, the agent I spoke to said based on my nationality I can't open an account before arrival, I also tried the website and when I selected my nationality, a message stating that the service is not available for my country was displayed. Do you know other banks that extends service in UAE?
I know for a fact that TD Bank and CIBC don't have that service. RBC and BMO say on their websites that they do offer it, so perhaps you could try with either one of those.
If you are unable to transfer your money that way, there are a few other options. You could try to make an arrangement with your bank in the UAE to allow you to send an international transfer online or to somehow authorize it while not being in the UAE anymore. That way, once you land, you will open a bank account and then order the funds transfer online or by telephone, from your UAE account to your account in Canada. Alternatively, you could slowly dispose of your funds through ATM withdrawals and/or cashing cheques. Yes, cheques and money orders from international banks are subject to a hold of up to a month that is just how it is. The ATM withdrawal would obviously be immediate but you would pay fees for each withdrawal. If there is Western Union in the UAE, you can also open an account and link it to your bank account in the UAE and transfer money to Canada once you have a bank account here. That applies too to PayPal but, again, you would need to see if it is available in the UAE. You would need a Visa debit card for sure.
There is an immigration website called Moving2Canada and they have an article about transferring your funds from your home country. They promoted two apps that they claimed were very efficient and low cost. I don't know if they work and, unfortunately, I don't have the article handy but I'm sure you can find it easily if you browse through their website.
Good luck!