Jim Karygiannis
James Karygiannis PC (/ˌkærɪdʒiˈænɪs/ ⓘ KARR-ij-ee-AN-iss; Greek: Δημήτρης Καρύγιαννης, romanized: Dimítris Karýgiannis, IPA: [ðiˈmitris kaˈriʝanis]; born May 2, 1955) is a former Canadian politician. He served in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal MP from 1988 to 2014, and as member of the Toronto City Council from 2014 until 2020, when his seat was vacated due to campaign spending violations.
The Honourable Jim Karygiannis | |
|---|---|
| Δημήτρης Καρύγιαννης | |
| Toronto City Councillor for Ward 22 Scarborough—Agincourt | |
| In office August 5, 2020 – September 24, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Vacant |
| Succeeded by | Nick Mantas |
| In office November 25, 2019 – June 24, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Vacant |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| In office December 1, 2018 – November 6, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Ward established |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Toronto City Councillor for (Ward 39) Scarborough—Agincourt | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – December 1, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Del Grande |
| Succeeded by | Ward abolished |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Scarborough—Agincourt | |
| In office November 21, 1988 – April 1, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Paul McCrossan |
| Succeeded by | Arnold Chan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Karygiannis May 2, 1955 Athens, Greece |
| Nationality |
|
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Toula Karygiannis |
| Residence(s) | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto (BASc) |
| Profession | Businessman, industrial engineer |
Karygiannis served concurrently as the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal (2005) and was previously parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport (2003–2005).
In opposition, Karygiannis attracted substantive attention from the media and various ethnic community groups as he took polemical stances on foreign policy issues and as part of his role as multiculturalism critic.
On April 1, 2014, he resigned his seat as a Member of Parliament in order to stand in the Toronto municipal election for Toronto City Councillor in Ward 39, and subsequently was elected to that seat. In November 2019, Karygiannis was removed from office for exceeding election expenses in the 2018 municipal election. He was then reinstated and removed twice during the ensuing legal saga that resulted in his final removal from office on September 24, 2020.