City staff say they are seeking legal and governance advice this week to determine whether to act on revelations about the chairman of a local BIA's criminal record in Greece.
The Globe and Mail reported Saturday that Constantine Voidonicolas, chairman of the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA (Business Improvement Area), was convicted of three gun-related charges by an Athens court in 2004. He fired on four construction workers during an argument outside his home, according to Greek court documents. Mr. Voidonicolas told The Globe that he was protecting his wife and children.
"Quite frankly, I don't know what the city can or should do, depending upon how the facts turn out. So we are reviewing the situation," said Mike Williams, general manager of the city's economic development and culture division, which oversees Toronto's 72 BIAs.
BIA board members are selected by business and property owners and approved by local community councils, which are committees of city council.
"We need some advice on governance with regard to city boards and we need some legal input."
The GreekTown on the Danforth BIA organizes Toronto's popular Taste of the Danforth, an annual festival celebrating Greek culture that attracts hundreds of thousands of participants each year.
At an emergency BIA board meeting Monday night, 10 members voted to support Mr. Voidonicolas in his role as chairman while one member abstained, Mr. Voidonicolas's lawyer, Peter Brauti, said.
Mr. Brauti said Mr. Voidonicolas called for Monday night's vote because he was concerned that the revelations about his criminal past might tarnish the image of the BIA.
At the meeting, Mr. Voidonicolas encouraged the other board members to speak freely, and he assured them that he "wouldn't be offended in any way," Mr. Brauti said.
Mr. Brauti added that no one from the city had contacted his client. "His only comment was that the organization runs extremely smoothly and so he's not sure why there would be any kind of issue. The board is happy and the community's happy."
Aris Sideratos, who runs Skyway Tours, a travel agency based in Toronto, said Mr. Voidonicolas's history in Greece is a personal matter and doesn't affect his work at the BIA.
"As a BIA member, as a BIA chair, this man has been great. The BIA has never been in better shape than it is now, we have a huge financial surplus, and absolutely no financial corruption," Mr. Sideratos said.
Two store owners interviewed by The Globe declined to comment publicly because of the nature of the allegations against Mr. Voidonicolas.
Mr. Voidonicolas was born in Greece, but obtained Canadian citizenship and established himself in Toronto's GreekTown community, buying and leasing commercial buildings.
After the shooting incident outside his Athens home in 1999, Mr. Voidonicolas fled to Canada. He was later sentenced in absentia to 42 months in prison for "illegal gun carrying," "illegal gun use" and "illegal gun possession." Greek court records indicate he has also been convicted of offences related to social-security fraud and unpaid taxes, though Mr. Voidonicolas has denied these convictions occurred. Mr. Voidonicolas is still wanted by Greek authorities. A Greek police officer who acts as a liaison with Interpol, the agency that co-ordinates international arrest warrants, confirmed there is a warrant for Mr. Voidonicolas and that Canadian authorities are aware of it.
After last year's festival, the GreekTown BIA donated over $93,000 to local charities, said Faiza Ansari, the BIA's director of operations. The Toronto East General Hospital received almost half of that money, and other charities included the Hellenic Homes for the Aged, and the Greek Community of Toronto. Ms. Ansari said it's up to the board to decide where it will donate money raised from this year's festival.
This year's Taste of the Danforth festival received a grant of $60,000 from the province's Celebrate Ontario fund.
Jim Karygiannis, Liberal MP for Scarborough-Agincourt and the party's multiculturalism critic, attended Taste of the Danforth this year, where he stopped to pose for a photograph with Mr. Voidonicolis and other politicians.
"The fact that the chairman of the GreekTown BIA has difficulties is unfortunate, but that in no way, shape or form reflects on what happened that weekend and the two million people that visited," Mr. Karygiannis said.
"We were not aware of any difficulties [for Mr. Voidonicolas] and if there's any difficulties then it's for the law to deal with and the authority of the government of Canada," he said.
With a report from Greg McArthur