Barely out of the penitentiary, Tony Accurso finds himself once again at the heart of major discussions about his properties in two cities on the northern shores of Montreal. Terrebonne is trying as best it can to avoid paying him millions of dollars to expropriate his company from land included in its “Biodiversity Corridor.” And in Deux-Montagnes, his son wants to take advantage of the new zoning to build 10 residential buildings ranging from 3 to 15 storeys, in place of the vast family estate on the lake.
Until February, Accurso was serving his sentence for corruption. To get out of prison, he promised that he would no longer touch public contracts and assured that he had “no intention of operating a business.” The Parole Board, however, granted him a major exception: he can “advise” his children and manage the vast properties he already owns, which total $47 million in municipal assessment.
Strategically located, these properties still belong to him or to his companies. After long and complex insolvency proceedings, the former construction magnate managed to preserve them from the clutches of his creditors, Quebec, Ottawa and the cities of Montreal and Laval, who were claiming a total of $139 million from him.
Today, Tony Accurso, 72, plans to sell them, with the blessing of the Parole Board.
The Press attempted to speak to Tony Accurso or his son Giovanni, 35, for this story. They declined our requests through the patriarch’s lawyers.
Saved by an ex-partner
Tony Accurso managed to keep the bulk of his properties thanks to a former associate, Walter Martinello, ex-president of his former company Louisbourg Pipelines. It was he who lent him nearly 50 million to repay his public creditors, through an anonymous trust, reported The Press in October 2023.
The governments were demanding almost three times as much, but accepted the sum to avoid having to pursue costly legal proceedings to prove their claims.
Today, however, Accurso must find the money to repay his former partner.
Chinatown Lands
In addition to the land in Terrebonne and Deux-Montagnes, which is at the heart of discussions with these two municipalities, these assets saved from bankruptcy include a prime location in Montreal, at the corner of Saint-Laurent and René-Lévesque boulevards, at the foot of the Hydro-Québec tower.
Accurso’s 1111 Saint-Laurent limited partnership put it on the market, but the City registered a right of pre-emption on the land, “for residential purposes, including affordable housing.”
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The vacant lot in Chinatown that a company owned by Tony Accurso is trying to sell
The municipality, however, has no specific plan for the lots, which it estimates at 15 million. “The City does not do any specific planning on the buildings covered by the right of first refusal,” explains spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin. “The City is analyzing the opportunities at the time this transaction is submitted to it.”
He also specifies that the borough of Ville-Marie has not received “any permit application or project presentation” for the lots.
With the collaboration of Louis-Samuel Perron, The Press