WARMINGTON: Head of rival company accused of shooting two GFL executive's homes

· Toronto Sun

Like something out of a gangster movie, the head of one company has been charged with shooting up the houses of two executives of one of his competitors.

The alleged shooting up of the homes of two senior GFL Environmental Inc. executives has been a mystery since the violence occurred in 2024. But Toronto Police arrested a man in this head scratcher Thursday night, charging him in both gunfire incidents.

Visit tr-sport.click for more information.

And, in a stunning development, it turns out the accused is from a rival company.

It may seem like a movie, but this is real life in Toronto.

The shootings at the Toronto homes of GFL CEO Patrick Dovigi and his business partner Ted Manziaris, from affiliated Green Infrastructure Partners, occurred within an hour of each other on the evening of Sept. 29, 2024 .

‘Bullets flying everywhere’

“It was very dangerous,” a witness to one of the shootings recalled. “There were bullets flying everywhere and there were people in the house.”

No one was hurt, luckily, but everybody there was rattled.

Police were activated immediately and began their probe.

“They were able to use modern technology to help them and found evidence that they felt warranted charges,” a source close to this case said.

Arrested for two gun offences and two conspiracy to commit an indictable offence charges is Ilan Philosophe, 42, who was held at 32 Division overnight and was to appear in a Toronto court Friday.

Charges untested in court

Philosophe, who is considered innocent until proven guilty and has not had these charges tested in court, is listed as the head of a company that competes for the same business with GFL.

The accused shared his thoughts about his business and the industry in a social media post nine months ago.

“There’s no sugarcoating it, our industry is facing extremely challenging times,” he wrote on LinkedIn . “A sharp slowdown in new construction starts, multiple project receiverships and stalled payments on completed work have made cash flow management and strategic risk taking more critical than ever.”

Philosophe added in “response to adversity” his company – Astro Excavating Inc. – is not “sitting back or feeling sorry for ourselves” but has “doubled down investing continuously in growth, making smarter strategic decisions and improving operational efficiency.”

“No matter how tough things get our relentless resilience, calculated risk taking, smart decision making and unwavering passion ensure Astro will only continue to grow stronger,” he wrote.

The person facing charges in this will get his day in court. His company has not so far returned a call for comment.

Meanwhile, GFL’s website states it is “the fourth largest diversified environmental services company in North America, providing comprehensive solid waste management services from its platform of facilities throughout Canada and 18 U.S. states.”

Recognized by “our signature fleet of bright green trucks” they added they “believe that, by providing safe, accessible and cost-effective solutions, we encourage greater environmental responsibility and allow our customers and the communities we serve to be Green For Life.”

GFL has not commented on the shooting or the arrest. But one source close to the company said GFL does appreciate the doggedness of Toronto Police on this case, which has gone on for 18 months, and that there is a sense of relief charges have been laid.

Police have ‘more’ to do

While police have confirmed the arrest, they say this is a “very active investigation” with many other parts to it than what has come out so far.

“There is more work to do,” a police source said.

At this point there has been no indication if there is any connection to a suspected arson near Cherry Beach of a GFL Environmental hauling building or several other shootings or vandalism at their sites.

It will all be looked at it, said a police source, who added determining a motive and potential co-conspirators allegedly involved in the shootings are among the many aspects to this concerning investigation.

But while there has yet to be a trial or a conviction, police do believe they have solved the first part of this strange puzzle.

[email protected]

Read full story at source