Becoming a Somebody ― The Biography of Ignat Kaneff

The fascinating life story of Ignat Kaneff, one of Canada’s leading residential and commercial builders.

When Ignat Kaneff arrived in Canada in 1951, he had a mere five dollars to his name, no proficiency in English, and very little education. Yet, this was the beginning of one of Canada’s great immigrant success stories. Having left his native Bulgaria at just fourteen, Kaneff’s journey to Canada was long. It even included a stint in wartime Germany, working as a market gardener, but his plans in Canada were much, much bigger.

Kaneff began working in Toronto’s construction industry, where he showed tremendous drive, quickly founding a company and breaking ground on his first subdivision in 1956. He continued on a trajectory toward success, and by the 1970s was ranked among Canada’s top businessmen. Considered a pioneering citizen of the City of Mississauga, in 2017 he was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada. Becoming a Somebody recounts his stunning rise to prominence.

Steven Nyczyk has been writing professionally for nearly twenty years. He has written for the Toronto Sun and crafted teleplays for various Canadian television programs. Steven lives in Toronto.

Didi Kaneff, is the President of the Kaneff Group of Companies. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for outstanding community service. She is married to Ignat Kaneff and lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

Anna-Maria Kaneff is a managing director with the Kaneff Group of Companies. She is a founding board member of the Grassroots Reconciliation Group of Uganda, serving as its CFO. Ann-Maria lives in Port Credit, Ontario.

Ms. Kristina Kaneff is Vice President and General Counsel of the Kaneff Group of Companies. She is President of the Ignat Kaneff Charitable Foundation and Circle Leader for Peacebuilders International. Ms. Kaneff lives in Toronto.