{{Short description|Property developer}} '''Howard Sokolowski''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OOnt}} is a property developer, philanthropist and sport business owner from Toronto.<ref name=ont/> He is the husband of Linda Frum and was the former co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts with David Cynamon from 2003 to 2010.<ref name=honey>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/honey-i-bought-the-argos/article773822/ Honey, I bought the Argos] from ''The Globe and Mail'' retrieved 8 February 2014</ref> His parents, Henry and Eva Sokolowski, were Holocaust survivors from Poland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jewishtoronto.com/news-media/over-2000-attend-holocaust-remembrance-day-ceremony-in-toronto|title=Stories | UJA Federation of Greater Toronto}}{{Failed verification|date=April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cjnews.com/perspectives/ideas/shoah-jewish-identity|title = The Shoah and Jewish identity|date = 3 August 2016}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025}}</ref>
==Biography== Sokolowski was born to a Jewish family<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|authorlink=|title=Linda Frum Sokolowski|publisher=Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto|date=|url=https://www.jewishfoundationtoronto.com/book-of-life-stories/linda-frum-sokolowski|accessdate=February 2, 2018|archive-date=January 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124070754/https://www.jewishfoundationtoronto.com/book-of-life-stories/linda-frum-sokolowski|url-status=dead}}</ref> and raised in Toronto and attended York University. Upon graduation he went into property development, eventually co-founding ''Tribute Communities''. Over the next 25 years, the company went on to develop more than 25,000 homes. Later, Sokolowski founded another property development company, ''Metropia''.<ref>''About'' from [http://www.metropia.ca/about.php Metropia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015181447/http://metropia.ca/about.php|date=2013-10-15}} retrieved 8 February 2013{{Primary source inline|date=April 2025}}</ref> At the moment, Howard Sokolowski serves as chairman and chief executive officer at Metropia, where he has developed over 14,000 homes.<ref>https://metropia.ca/</ref>
He is a benefactor of Mount Sinai Hospital, the UJA Federation, Yad Vashem, the Bishop Strachan School, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Gardiner Museum, York University among other institutions. Sokolowski has received awards from J.D. Powers and Associates, the Ontario Home Builders Association, and the Greater Toronto Home Builders Association (BILD) including Project of the Year, Community of the Year and Builder of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://metropia.ca/our-people/executive-team/|title=Executive Team {{!}} Metropia|website=metropia.ca|language=en-CA|access-date=2017-11-20}}{{Primary source inline|date=April 2025}}</ref> In 2025 Howard Sokolowski was awarded BILD's highest honour, the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing his decades of impact to the GTA and beyond.<ref>https://www.bildgta.ca/howard-sokolowski-recognized-with-bilds-lifetime-achievement-award/</ref>
== Personal life == He is married to the Honourable Linda Frum, a writer and former Conservative member of the Senate of Canada.<ref>{{cite news |last=Raycraft |first=Richard |date=6 August 2021 |title=Linda Frum announces resignation from Senate |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/linda-frum-leaving-senate-1.6132082 |work=CBC News |access-date=3 April 2026}}</ref><ref>''About'' from [http://www.lindafrum.ca/About.html LindaFrum.ca] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210122325/http://www.lindafrum.ca/About.html |date=2014-02-10 }} retrieved 8 February 2014</ref> In 2011, Sokolowski was appointed to the Order of Ontario for 'his contributions to the arts, healthcare and education'.<ref name="ont">[http://news.ontario.ca/mci/en/2011/01/29-appointees-named-to-ontarios-highest-honour-1.html Appointees Names to Ontario's Highest Honour] from Government of Ontario retrieved 8 February 2014</ref>
==Toronto Argonauts== On 5 November 2003, Sokolowski and David Cynamon purchased the Toronto Argonauts from the Canadian Football League.<ref name=np>[https://nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=c718a42f-d7c3-4a76-84e1-06820b6dc363 Lions owner helped rescue ailing Argos] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140103211757/http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=c718a42f-d7c3-4a76-84e1-06820b6dc363 |date=2014-01-03 }} from ''National Post'' retrieved 8 February 2014</ref> Immediately, on assuming control of the club, they sought moving the team into a smaller stadium.<ref name=honey/> The Rogers Centre (formerly called the SkyDome until 2005) has a capacity of over 50,000 and although attendance at games increased during their ownership, it rarely was over 25,000. This made the stadium cavernous and unappealing to supporters. Discussions were made to play games at either University of Toronto, York University or BMO Field but all of them fell through.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/sports/argos/2013/06/21/argos_would_have_prospered_at_varsity_exowner_says_cox.html Argos would have prospered at Varsity, ex-owner says: Cox] from ''Toronto Star'' retrieved 8 February 2014</ref>
On the field, the team won the 92nd Grey Cup in 2004 under the head coach Michael 'Pinball' Clemons, the first black coach to ever win the Grey Cup.
Nevertheless, despite on field success and increased ticket attendance, without a purpose-built stadium, the team lost money over the six years of Sokolowski's and Cynamon's ownership. It was eventually sold to David Braley on 9 February 2010.
==References== <references/>
==External links== * [http://www.metropia.ca Metropia.ca] * [http://www.tributecommunities.com/ Tribute Communities]
{{TorontoArgosOwner}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sokolowski, Howard}} Category:Businesspeople from Toronto Category:Canadian sports businesspeople Category:Canadian Jews Category:Canadian philanthropists Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Members of the Order of Ontario Category:Toronto Argonauts owners Category:York University alumni Category:Canadian real estate and property developers