Dr. George Tsoukas is recognized for his outstanding contributions to the community

_{By Demetrios Smirnios}

^{April 27, 2025}

On Palm Sunday afternoon, April 13, 2025, a special celebration took place at the Palace Convention Centre in Laval to honour Dr. George M. Tsoukas on the occasion of his receiving two distinctions – the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Médaille du Député de l’Assemblée nationale – in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the community. On hand to deliver the awards and pay tribute to the honouree were Member of Parliament for Laval—Les Îles Mr Fayçal El-Khoury and Member of the National Assembly for Chomedey Mrs Sona Lakhoyan Olivier.

Also present at the event were the Reverend Father Nicolas Andreou, the dean of Holy Cross Church in Laval, Consul General of Greece in Montreal Katerina Varvarigou, Senator Tony Loffreda, 2018 Philhellene of the Year and the first Canadian-born Senator of Italian descent, Eleni Bakopanos, Member of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Members of Parliament Annie Koutrakis and Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Montreal municipal councillor Mary Deros, Laval municipal councillor Aglaia Revelakis, Dr Theodore Halatsis, President of the Canadian Hellenic Congress, Vicky Nikolakakou, Secretary of the Hellenic Congress of Quebec, Mtre Basile Angelopoulos, Honorary President of the Fundraising Committee of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, Tassos Xipolitakis, Chairman of the Fundraising Committee of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, Dr Michael Tsoukas, Executive Vice-President of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, Nick Fudas, Treasurer of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, and Mtre Demetrios Smirnios, Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal and Archon Nomophylax of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

A wonderful reception followed the ceremony hosted and organized by entrepreneur Nicholas Tsatas and author Justine Frangouli-Argyris.

A few words about Dr George Tsoukas

George Tsoukas was born in Castoria (derived from the Greek word for beaver – castor in French), a city in the northern region of Macedonia in Greece, renowned for its fur clothing industry, a tradition dating back to Byzantine times. He came to Montreal with his family at the age of 10 but lost his father Michael soon thereafter. He started working and entrepreneuring at 13 and – like his Castorian father before him – did business as a self-employed furrier. He later studied fine arts and sculpting before finding a lifelong passion in painting and giving many of his works of art to charities. With a love for learning he pursued studies in honours biochemistry and medicine at McGill University. He graduated as a physician, and after further postgraduate studies and training he specialized as an endocrinologist, and became a distinguished researcher and professor at his alma mater McGill University and the affiliated McGill University Health Centre.

As a community leader, he championed minority rights and spearheaded the founding of both the Canadian Hellenic Congress and the Coalition of Hellenic, Jewish and Italian Congresses. He advocated for world peace as president of the Hellenic-Canadian Solidarity Committee For Cyprus. He promoted after-school learning of the Greek language in public elementary schools as president of the Hellenic Federation of Parents and Guardians of Greater Montreal. He chaired a fundraising committee that secured the necessary funding for the establishment of a permanent Chair in Modern Greek and Greek-Canadian Studies at McGill University. He was honorary president of the fundraising committee of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal that purchased modern smart boards for École Socrates-Démosthène and its classrooms.

On June 12, 2022, Dr George Tsoukas was elected to the central board of directors of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal with an overwhelming plurality of votes and defeated former provincial minister Christos Sirros in a contested nomination for the office of president.

Dr George Tsoukas and his Team Anagenesis campaigned on a solemn promise to preserve and maintain a united Hellenic Community organization and to lay the foundations for a new community centre, sports facility and school in Laval. In contrast, Christos Sirros and his Team Praxis (former Team Filiki Eteria) advocated for the abolition of the 3 regional councils of the Hellenic Community and for the resurrection of a 30-year old proposal to defund the priests, parishes and Archdiocese («πλήρη ενοριοποίση» according to local journalist Christos Manikis, publisher of the weekly Greek Canadian Tribune «BHMA»).

Immediately after the elections, as newly elected President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal Dr George Tsoukas graciously extended his hand «across the aisle» and invited certain members from each faction to join him and his new Executive Committee as Secretaries of various community departments.

His administration inherited a Hellenic Community that was chronically underfunded by millions of dollars. Teacher salaries and payroll increased from $8,551,969 (2020-2021) to $11,070,592 (2023-2024) – an increase of $2,518,623 or 30% within 3 years. Tuition fees – which are usually set more than one year in advance of the start of each school year – have not kept pace. A concerted effort by all is required to solve the structural deficit and to balance the annual budget.

During his term of office as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, Dr George Tsoukas also collaborated with Hellenic Social Services of Quebec and its president Dr Vicky Baffis and jointly they made an effort to comply with new Government of Quebec guidelines for public funding that required that the HSSQ amend its by-laws and hereafter operate at arm’s length from the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal.

Many Hellenic Community presidents and administrations prior to 2022 had tried to obtain – and had submitted voluminous applications for – a federal grant in order to build a new community centre, library and athletic centre in Laval (phase 1). They all dreamed of building adjoining classrooms (phase 2) that would ultimately merge the existing three school campuses in Laval and that would create economies of scale and significant reductions in operating costs.  All such applications for a building grant had failed to bear fruit prior to 2022. 

A renewed effort and a new application for a federal grant in January 2023 by Dr George Tsoukas with the aid of two fellow board members Dr Andreas Athienitis, Professor of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering at Concordia University and an internationally recognized researcher in solar energy and building energy systems and «2024 Hellene of the Year» – and Mr John Vathis, M.Eng., a civil and structural engineer, were rewarded by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a visit to the Hellenic Parade and the Hellenic Community Centre on Sunday, March 24, 2024 where the Prime Minister announced a $10 million building grant in the presence of the visiting Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Dr George Tsoukas is married to the first lady of the Community Chariclea Tsoukas with whom he shares four sons Michael, Alexander, George-Orestis and Philip all of whom graduated as medical doctors and continue his and her legacy and service to the community.

Congratulations to Dr George Tsoukas for the honours bestowed upon him by two levels of government for a lifetime of achievement and work with community organizations !