Sophia Aggelonitis (born ) is a Canadian businesswoman and former politician. She was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

who represented the riding of

Hamilton Mountain Hamilton is located on the western end of the Niagara Peninsula and wraps around the westernmost part of the Lake Ontario. Most of the city including the downtown section lies along the south shore. Situated in the geographic centre of the Gold ...

from 2007 to 2011. She served as the province's Minister of Revenue and Minister Responsible for Seniors in the

government of

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...

Background

Agglenotis was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and raised in

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-o ...

, Ontario. She is the daughter of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

immigrants who came from

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

in the 1960s. She went to school at Eastdale High School and

Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bear ...

where she obtained a degree in politics and psychology. She has worked as a consultant specializing in special events and environmental auditing. Her most recent venture was one called "Sauces by Sophia" selling a brand of

tzatziki Tzatziki ( el, τζατζίκι), also known as tarator or cacık (), is a dip, soup, or sauce found in the cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East. It is made of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic ...

to supermarkets and specialty food stores in Southern Ontario. In March 2007 she became president of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. However, she resigned three months later to pursue the Liberal nomination after

Marie Bountrogianni Marie Bountrogianni (born December 10, 1956) is the former Dean of The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University. She is also the former Chief psychologist of the Hamilton Board of Education, the former President and ...

announced that she would not seek another term in office.

Politics

Aggelonitis ran as the Liberal candidate in the 2007 provincial election, defeating the NDP candidate by 2,334 votes. Following the election she was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to

Harinder Takhar Harinder Jeet Singh Takhar (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Ontario Liberal Party, Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Mississauga Centre (provincial e ...

, the Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She later served as Parliamentary Assistant to

Ted McMeekin Ted McMeekin (born ) is politician in Ontario, Canada. He is the Ward 15 Councillor, for the City of Hamilton. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2000 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Ancaster—Dundas—F ...

, Minister of Consumer Services, and

Sandra Pupatello Sandra Pupatello (née Pizzolitto; born October 6, 1962) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2011 as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party, serving as a Minister in the government o ...

, Minister of Economic Development and Trade. She was also named chair of the

Small Business Agency of Ontario The Small Business Agency of Ontario (SBAO) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, operating as part of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. It was established by the government of Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuint ...

to encourage better communication between government and small business. In 2009, Aggelonitis introduced a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...

called ''An Act to proclaim Mental Health Awareness Day'', calling for the last day of Mental Health Week each year to be proclaimed Mental Health Awareness Day. On January 18, 2010, Aggelonitis was named Minister of Consumer Services. On August 18, 2010, she was named Minister of Revenue and Minister Responsible for Seniors. In those capacities she presided over legislation to combat contraband tobacco and the implementation of stronger protections for retirement home residents. She ran for re-election in the 2011 provincial election, but was defeated by New Democrat

Monique Taylor Monique Taylor (born 28 June 1972) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a Ontario New Democratic Party, New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represents the riding of Hamilton Mountain (provincial elec ...

by 5,798 votes.

Cabinet posts

Electoral record

After politics

In September 2012, Aggelonitis was named as president of the Ontario Liberal Fund, a body that will co-ordinate fundraising activities for the party on the province. She also serves as a judge on a local entrepreneurship contest called the "Lion's Lair" which awards cash and business resources to the winners of the contest.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aggelonitis, Sophia 1968 births Women government ministers of Canada Living people Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Businesspeople from Toronto Canadian people of Greek descent Women MPPs in Ontario Canadian women in business Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario Politicians from Toronto Canadian women company founders Brock University alumni 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians