Montreal real estate owner Giuseppe Borsellino has died

Guiseppe Borsellino with his wife Elina (sister of Lino Saputo). The real estate mogul and philanthropist died at the age of 80 on Sept. 1, 2021. SOURCE: Fondation communautaire Canadienne-Italienne/Facebook

MONTREAL — Influential real estate owner Giuseppe Borsellino died Wednesday night of a heart attack at the age of 80.

The businessman was the president and founder of the board of directors of the Petra Group, which he founded in 1986.

He was the husband of Elina Saputo, the sister of Lino Saputo, who is the founder of the Montreal cheese maker of the same name.

Groupe Petra's real estate portfolio includes several large-scale buildings in Montreal, including 1000 de la Place Gauchetière West and the CIBC Tower.

In 2020, a Radio-Canada story reported on alleged links between Borsellino and American mobster Joe Bonanno in the 1970s.

Borsellino's lawyer responded that his client had nothing to hide. No charges have been filed.

The businessman is well known in the Italian community as a philanthropist.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 2, 2021.