Following the establishment of the Canadian Armenian Business Council of Quebec, a group of business people and professionals in Toronto came together to explore the possibility of developing a similar organization in the Greater Toronto area. After a number of meetings amongst themselves, CABC officials in Montreal and a joint meeting between the two groups in Toronto, this group of Toronto-based business people and professionals endeavored to establish a similar organization in Toronto as an extension or subsidiary of the Montreal group, having the same Constitution and By Laws in the fall of 1987. The activities in Toronto were headed by the late Mr. Kevork Kololian who became the first President of the newly elected Board of Directors.
The official registration of CABC in Ontario was realized mainly by the efforts of Mr. Berj Papazian in the following year, in May 1988, when the second Board of Directors was elected, headed by Mr. Krikor Chitilian. This Board would carry on the work of the organization as a separate and independent entity in Ontario, although with the same objectives as its sister organization in Quebec.
Over 100 businesses out of a total 300 estimated Armenian Canadian businesses in the Greater Toronto Area were active members of CABC Toronto.
The initial purpose of the corporation as recorded in the Constitution was:
To draw on the Armenian heritage, the diverse entrepreneurial and business strengths and experience of its members in order to increase communication and cooperation in between Armenians in the business, in order to enhance the professional image, promote the interests, and assist in the development and expansion throughout Canada of Armenian Canadian businesses
These objectives were later amended upon the establishment of the Republic of Armenia, mainly as they related to the scope of Canada-Armenia bi-lateral relations and assistance to the business sector of Armenia. As a result, on October 27, 2001 the CABC founded a special committee called “Armenia Projects”. Since its establishment, the Armenia Projects Committee has organized numerous successful business missions to Armenia, has helped establish contacts for various Canadian companies in Armenia through a number of networking opportunities, and has continuously lobbied the Canadian government and its agencies to become more involved in Armenia’s economic welfare and development.
This was the impetus for behind the decision of the Board of Directors and General Membership to change the name of the organization to Canada Armenia Business Council Inc. during the Annual General Meeting of 2005.
Starting in 2000, the Board of Directors also ventured to establish a Young Professionals Group (YP), to provide the younger generation of Armenian Canadian business professionals an independent forum for networking, learning and obtaining job search assistance and career advice.
During 2007, the Board of Directors decided to create sub-groups representing distinct fields of business and professions such as Engineering, I.T., Financial/Banking and Real Estate, with the objective of bringing together the business people and professionals in each field and assisting the next generation of young professionals in their future endeavors.