| Hon. Sophia Aggelonitis | |
|---|---|
| MPP for Hamilton Mountain | |
| In office October 30, 2007 – October 6, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Marie Bountrogianni |
| Succeeded by | Monique Taylor |
| Minister of Revenue | |
| In office August 18, 2010 – October 6, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | John Wilkinson |
| Minister Responsible for Seniors | |
| In office August 18, 2010 – October 6, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Gerry Phillips |
| Succeeded by | Linda Jeffrey |
| Minister of Consumer Services | |
| In office January 18, 2010 – August 18, 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Ted McMeekin |
| Succeeded by | John Gerretsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Residence | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Occupation | entrepreneur |
Sophia Aggelonitis is a Canadian politician. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Hamilton Mountain and served as the province's Minister of Revenue and Minister Responsible for Seniors in the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty. She is the daughter of Greek immigrants and was raised in Welland, Ontario before moving to Hamilton in 1994.[1]
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Prior to her election to the legislature, Aggelonitis was an entrepreneur, manufacturing and distributing a "Sauces by Sophia" brand of tzatziki to supermarkets and specialty food stores in Southern Ontario. She volunteered with the Hamilton AM Rotary Club and a number of other community organizations, including the local Theatre Aquarius, Canadian Club of Hamilton, Phoenix Place and the Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice fundraising committee.[1] After serving four years on the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, she was subsequently elected its president in March 2007,[2] but resigned at the end of June to pursue the Liberal nomination after Marie Bountrogianni announced that she would not seek another term in office.
Aggelonitis was elected with 37.2% of the vote, defeating the NDP candidate by close to 2,000 votes. Following the election she was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Hon. Harinder Takhar, the Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She subsequently served as Parliamentary Assistant to Takhar at the new Minister of Small Business and Consumer Services. As a successful entrepreneur and former President of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Aggelonitis was also asked by Premier Dalton McGuinty to chair the Small Business Agency of Ontario to encourage better communication between government and small business.
She later served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Hon. Ted McMeekin, Minister of Consumer Services, and to the Hon. Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade (concentrating in the latter role on matters related to small business).
In addition, Aggelonitis served as a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, as a member of the Standing Committee on Social Policy,[3] the Cabinet Committee on Justice, Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs and was appointed by the Premier as the Chair of the Restaurant and Hospitality Caucus.[1]
In 2009, Aggelonitis introduced private member's bill 205, An Act to proclaim Mental Health Awareness Day,[4] 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.[5] On August 18, 2010, she was named Minister of Revenue and Minister Responsible for Seniors.[6] In those capacities she has presided over legislation to combat contraband tobacco[7] and the implementation of stronger protections for retirement home residents.[8][9]
| Ontario general election, 2007 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal | Sophia Aggelonitis | 17,383 | 37.2 | ||
| New Democrat | Bryan Adamczyk | 15,649 | 33.5 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Bob Charters | 10,991 | 23.5 | ||
| Green | Ivan Miletic | 2,172 | 4.7 | ||
| Family Coalition | Mary Maan | 493 | 1.1 | ||