1979
Patrick Dovigi was born that July 2 and grew up in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, where his Italian-immigrant parents were teachers. He became active in hockey, and by the age of 14 moved to Waterloo and lived with a host family while playing for the Elmira Sugar Kings of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
1996-98
After two seasons for the minor league Eric Otters, Dovigi was drafted by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as a goaltender in the 41st round, and he was on the 1997-98 roster of the New Orleans Brass in the East Coast Hockey League.
2000
Following two more seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, Dovigi quit hockey and attended Ryerson University in a business program.
2001-04
Dovigi’s jobs included a construction-equipment and auto leasing company, then he was hired by Brovi Investments, working in corporate finance. There, he helped a venture with KISS frontman Gene Simmons called NGTV, but it went out of business. Dovigi also became familiar with the waste management business, called to deal with a sour investment — via mismanaged firm that required years of cleaning up.
2007
Dovigi left Brovi, and launched Green For Life Environmental with seed money of about $250,000 and fewer than a dozen employees. Specializing in buying smaller waste-management companies, GFL’s business and revenues — and debt — grew, becoming one of North America’s biggest waste-management companies.
2018-20
Dovigi started, then postponed, Initial Public Offerings to take GFL public, completing the change in 2020.
2021
In one year, GFL acquired 31 waste-management companies, including PDC in Peoria, where one of its responsibilities is building the planned Landfill #3.
SINCE
Peoria’s landfill complex outside Edwards is owned by the City of Peoria and Peoria County. Its Landfill #1 section was full by 1998, and Landfill #2 (operated by Waste Management, Inc.) is expected to reach capacity this year. Landfill #3 was anticipated to be in operation by this year, but it’s not even started after years of delays.
In April, Peoria County served GFL a breach-of-contract notice, but weeks later at a meeting of local officials and GFL representatives, including Dovigi, GFL reportedly said it honors its contracts.