Based on coverage from Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Toronto Star.
Toronto police have charged a Toronto-area construction company owner in connection with a pair of shootings that hit the homes of two senior figures tied to GFL Environmental, one of Canada’s biggest waste and infrastructure players.
The recent arrest comes amid growing concerns over a series of violent incidents targeting GFL executives, which echoes broader issues of harassment and violence in the city, as previously reported in a case involving hate-motivated harassment.
Ilan Philosophe, 42, was arrested Thursday by Toronto police’s guns and gangs unit and is accused of being involved in gunfire at two Toronto residences on Sept. 29 and 30, 2024. The arrest was first reported by The Globe and Mail, with follow-up reporting from the Toronto Star.
No injuries were reported in the attacks, but the case has drawn extra attention because it sits inside a longer string of shootings, suspected arsons, and vandalism targeting people and properties linked to GFL and its sister company, Green Infrastructure Partners (GIP).
Toronto shootings targeted GFL-linked homes
Police allege the first shooting happened Sept. 29, 2024 at the Rosedale home of GFL CEO Patrick Dovigi. The Globe and Mail reports it was followed about an hour later by gunfire at the home of Ted Manziaris, described as a GFL-affiliated executive. The Globe identifies Manziaris as someone who worked for GFL’s sister construction company, GIP.
Court documents described in the Globe’s reporting say surveillance video showed a masked person in a black hooded sweater with three white stripes approaching while holding a handgun and a cellphone, then firing at the property. The Globe also reports police believe the shooter appeared to be filming at Manziaris’s home, where nine shots were fired at the front door.
Toronto police previously said they believed the incidents were targeted. The Star reports that when asked at the time, Dovigi pushed back on that theory, without offering an alternate explanation. This week, Dovigi said he would not comment because it’s an active investigation.
Charges against Ilan Philosophe and court timeline
Philosophe faces firearms and conspiracy allegations tied to the two home shootings. One account says he was charged with discharging a firearm and conspiring with another person to discharge a firearm at the two residences. The Globe’s longer report describes the charges as two counts of discharging a firearm in a place that is reckless to others, and two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
The Globe identifies Philosophe as the founder of Astro Excavating Inc. and Astro Shoring Inc., and says he owns a Toronto excavating and shoring business. The Star similarly describes him as president and chairman of Astro Shoring and Excavating.
In bail court, Assistant Crown attorney Byron Alvares asked for an adjournment to Monday, citing pending search warrants, further investigative steps, and potential witnesses relating to the conspiracy allegations, with the Crown also watching for possible additional charges.
GFL and GIP violence beyond these attacks
These two shootings are part of a broader pattern around GFL and GIP, though not every incident has been tied to this arrest.
The Globe reports at least a dozen attacks since June 2024 involving shootings, vandalism, and suspected arsons at GFL and GIP properties and equipment. It also reports that a month after Dovigi’s home was hit, shots were fired at GFL offices in north Toronto, with no reported injuries.
The Star separately details other episodes: an arson in July 2024 at a Vaughan industrial yard (six dump trucks burned); additional damage from gunfire at GFL-related sites in 2024; then new incidents in 2025 including a Feb. 12 yard fire that damaged GFL trucks in Etobicoke, and multiple March shootings including repeated hits on a North York location near Weston Road and Fenmar Drive. CityNews also reported gunfire damage at a GFL building in Aurora on March 19, according to the Star.
The Globe also reports March 2025 gunfire aimed toward a GFL office building north of Toronto, a waste-hauling yard, and the home of an executive of a GFL affiliate.
Business feud allegations and competing narratives
The Globe reports that court documents show police looked early at whether the attacks were connected to a bitter dispute between some GIP executives and Philosophe, a competitor in the Greater Toronto construction market.
Philosophe has publicly denied any involvement in the violence. His lawyer, Margaret Bojanowska, said Friday that the defence has little information so far and is waiting for disclosure to challenge the allegations in court.
The Globe also reports Philosophe previously faced a criminal harassment charge (laid in April 2025) over “taunting” and often vulgar text messages sent to GIP officials, and that GIP had brought the messages to police. Police raids in April 2025 seized multiple devices, according to the Globe.
GFL and GIP officials, as described by the Globe, say the texts and related behaviour made them wary. Philosophe, in turn, told the Globe he regretted sending the messages but said they were his response to what he claimed were efforts to damage his company’s reputation, allegations that GFL denies.
Why this matters for Toronto and beyond
GFL is a major public company on the TSX, valued around $22 billion, and services hundreds of municipalities in Canada and the U.S., according to the Globe. The company started in the Toronto region and announced in January that it relocated its executive headquarters to Miami Beach, Florida, while earning the bulk of its revenue in the U.S.
In Toronto, the Star reports GFL holds the contract for curbside waste collection west of Yonge Street. Mayor Olivia Chow has said city staff are reviewing privatized collection versus city-run service east of Yonge, citing more 311 complaints and inferior quality in the privatized zone, according to the Star. The police case, meanwhile, moves next through court, with investigators signalling the file is still active and more arrests are expected.
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