Meet Perry Dellelce. This scion of a well-known Sudbury business family is one of the 50 most influential people in Toronto, according to editors of "Toronto Life" magazine.
The Toronto lawyer, 62, is in heady company. The list includes Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Doug Ford and author Margaret Atwood.
The December 2025 edition of the magazine notes his business acumen and generosity.
"It certainly was a surprise. I never imagined I would be among those top 50," said Dellelce in an interview.
Philanthropy comes naturally. His late father, Nick Dellelce, was Sudbury's official Santa Claus for many years. The outgoing business owner was named Sudbury’s Citizen of the Year in 1972.
Dellelce's mother, Diane (nee Scagnetti), who died in 1994, was involved in numerous community activities including the Catholic Women's League and Beta Sigma Phi and is remembered for her dedicated work to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and for the Canadian Cancer Society.
His sister, Benita Dellelce, is a longtime Sudbury entrepreneur through her business Charm Plus. The model agent, makeup artist and personal development coach is also an active community volunteer.
"I think I always knew I would be a 'do-gooder,' or always hoped I would be… . That was very much part of my upbringing, what my parents taught me. My family was always community focused and active community servants," he said.
Toronto Life, which placed Dellelce at No. 45 on its list, notes: "As managing partner of Wildeboer Dellelce, one of Canada’s leading corporate finance law firms, Perry Dellelce acted for Maple Leaf Sports in Rogers’s $4.7-billion acquisition of BCE’s interest in the sports juggernaut.
"His altruistic athletic pursuits are impressive too. He’s the chair of the Canadian Olympic Foundation, which announced its financial support of five Indigenous athletes and awarded the 50 Team Canada Olympic medalists from Paris a total of $1.75 million.
"His firm also provides pro bono legal counsel to Canada Basketball and BIPOC-owned businesses within the basketball community."
A full list of Dellelce's many impressive accomplishments and philanthropic gifts is available on Wildeboer Dellelce website.
Dellelce is the grandson of Italian immigrants and said he is inspired by their legacy of hard work.
His maternal grandfather, Beniamino Scagnetti, came to Canada in 1913. A pioneer in Garson, he overcame prejudice, ran a general store and was involved in local politics. He and his wife, Christina, raised nine children, including Ben and Ron, the founders of Mid-North Motors.
"Life has changed with remote working," said Dellelce. "I am working 16 hours a day and probably six on weekend days if you include reading emails and briefs and attending meetings. It is never ending but I am happy to be doing it.
"I am very fortunate that I can mix family, business and extra-curricular activities all together and it is all fun and I enjoy it all equally.
"You have to enjoy it and have fun. If you are not having fun, you will not be successful. Sadly, too many people go to work not looking forward to their day. I am blessed to be able to get up in the morning and can’t wait to get to work, and at the end of the day, I can’t wait to get home."
Dellelce and his wife, Susan, (nee Guyan) own a second residence on McFarlane Lake and continue to have an interest in what is going on in their hometown.
He is a director in McFarlane Lake Mining Ltd., a publicly traded Canadian gold exploration company based in Sudbury.
As co-founder of the Toronto Celebrates Sudbury event, Dellelce helps raise funds for local charities.
As a member of Laurentian University’s The Next 50 Campaign team, in 2011 he made a $250,000 donation to Laurentian on behalf of his family.
"Laurentian is critical to the long-term health of Sudbury. And it needed help. When they asked me, there was no question I was going to help," he said.
In 2019, he received a Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club of Sudbury in part because of his generous support of Health Sciences North.
A graduate of Western University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, Dellelce's alma maters have all benefited from his benevolence.
The Dellelce family’s most recent gift to Western established the Susan, Perry, Taylor and Nicholas Dellelce Strategic Priorities Fund to support projects and programs at the university in London, Ont.
To honour this gift, Western renamed its campus bookstore the Dellelce Family Bookstore.
Dellelce and his wife have two adult children. Taylor is a graduate of Notre Dame and Nicholas is a sophomore at the famed Catholic university in Indiana.
Dellelce's formula for success blends fatherly advice with professional insight.
"Without sacrifice, you will not have success. That means doing things you don't want to do or that are not easy to do. You have to work late. You have to work hard. You have to get up early. You have to show up when you don't feel like showing up. You have to be happy when you're not happy."
Dellelce remains close to his sisters, Benita and Dena, his extended family and old friends in Sudbury.
Dario Zulich, developer and owner of the Sudbury Wolves, is a high school friend and former university roommate.
Dellelce was a partner with Zulich in the True North Strong Group, which hoped to build the Kingsway Entertainment District (KED).
"I was so frustrated by the city," Dellelce said about the project's cancellation in 2022. "Having said that, the mayor and new council has revised my interest in the city and has my support."
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer. People You Should Know About is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.