We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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Mr. Andreas Apostolopoulos

Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

For his outstanding service to the Durham Region area, entrepreneurial leadership and commitment to building better communities, the university confers posthumously upon Mr. Andreas Apostolopoulos the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.

Mr. Apostolopoulos epitomized the energy, ambition and entrepreneurial success of millions of people who have chosen Canada as their home.

Born in Kalamata, Greece, Mr. Apostolopoulos immigrated to Canada in 1969. He began his working life in Canada as a labourer and janitor, but like so many entrepreneurs he possessed greater ambitions and a head for business. He started his own office-cleaning company, followed by a plastic-bag manufacturing firm. Then he began to see a particular opportunity in commercial real estate and development: purchasing older buildings and investing in properties located in less-desirable areas internationally; upgrading them with modernized infrastructure; and then filling those refreshed properties with income-producing industrial and commercial tenants. That insight, coupled with hard work and his enthusiastic embrace of risk, led Mr. Apostolopoulos to grow his multi-billion-dollar Triple Group of Companies.

Sadly, on February 15, 2021, Mr. Apostolopoulos passed away peacefully at his home. He was 69 years old.

Under Mr. Apostolopoulos’ stewardship, Triple Group has become one of Canada’s largest and most successful privately held companies. Yet, regardless of the organization’s extraordinary success, Triple Group is still, very much, a family company. His sons, Jim, Peter and Steve remain at the helm of Triple Group, and they continue to build on their father’s legacy. That legacy includes their investment in Durham Live in Pickering, Ontario, which will be one of the largest entertainment and retail developments in Canada. In recognition of their investment and engagement in Durham Region, the City of Pickering awarded Mr. Apostolopoulos, and Triple Group its 2018 Economic Development Award. This award is given to businesses who have made a significant contribution to the city’s economic prosperity.

Along with their extensive business enterprise, the Apostolopoulos family also invests proudly in all of their communities: they rank among the major philanthropists in Durham Region and in the broader Greater Toronto Area.

Mr. Apostolopoulos’ entrepreneurial leadership, particularly his openness to new, emerging ideas and possibilities, aligns with Ontario Tech University’s mission to foster entrepreneurial thinking, and to create entrepreneurs ready to enter today’s competitive markets. In Mr. Apostolopoulos’ spirit, his family and companies remain committed to building better communities, through their business activities and philanthropic efforts.