Micaela Tsavaris was a dynamic, caring and spontaneous woman who was full of life and loved deeply by her friends and family.
“We were each other’s soulmates,” said her husband, Art Tsavaris. “Our marriage lasted a solid 22 years up until the tragedy.”
The 72-year-old, who went by Miki, was tragically killed last September after being struck by a car while walking through the Shoppers Drug Mart parking lot on Eramosa Road.
She and Art had just finished volunteering at Royal City Mission and were stopping in at the store on their way home, when a 94-year-old driver backed out of a disabled parking space, striking and killing Miki.
The now 95-year-old driver, Ehin Ariss, who had recently renewed his licence, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death in Provincial Offences Court Wednesday. He was given a five-year licence suspension and a $3,000 fine.
Tsavaris and his family and friends were “beside themselves” with the decision, feeling the penalty should have been more than it was to encourage public discussion and action around driving regulations.
“As far as awareness goes, there’s not enough impact to get politicians to really do anything,” he said. “Unfortunately, the court that deals with this treats it just as a traffic incident. It doesn’t really provide justice.”
He had been pushing for a $40,000 fine (the maximum fine is $50,000) and a permanent licence suspension, but said it was out of his hands.
“The family was in agreement basically not by choice, but accepting the consequences of such an accident in this jurisdiction,” he said. “I’m a law-abiding believer in the rule of law, and I live by the court decisions.”
Still, Tsavaris and his family want to see stricter regulations when it comes to driving in Ontario.
Currently, when someone turns 80 they are required to renew their licence every two years.
The process involves a vision assessment and a five minute screening exercise. A road test and medical or vision information is not mandatory, only required depending on how well the vision assessment and screening test go.
At the very least, he thinks there should be mandatory road tests and higher fines for collisions involving death.
“The fact that my seven-year-old grandson could pass the licence renewal is absurd. It’s basically a rubber stamp,” he said.
Likewise, he believes the fines aren’t high enough.
“So someone who’s lived a full life at age 95 goes to pick up their prescription drugs, kills someone, and basically doesn’t have an obligation to appear in court and face the victims, and gets off scot-free with a nominal $3,000 fine.”
Originally from New York, Miki and Tsavaris only moved to Guelph permanently in 2023.
They met about 27 years ago, both working as senior vice-presidents at a bank in New York. Their interactions began as strictly professional, but grew into friendly lunches and quality time. They were married by 2002.
“We were each other’s soul mates,” he said. Both had been married before, and he said by that point, they had figured out what they wanted.
“She was a very dynamic woman. No nonsense, very direct, spontaneous. She was very accomplished academically and professionally, and had a real sense of giving back to the community.”
She had strong family values and cared deeply for her son, Matthew, her six-year-old grandson and the rest of her extended family.
“My bond with my mom was undeniable,” Matthew said in a victim impact statement. “My mom raised me as a single mother and made endless sacrifices after immigrating to the United States. We were an unconditional family to one another.”
That care extended to the community around her as well.
Tsavaris and Miki were volunteers at Royal City Mission. Miki also volunteered her time with ElderDog, assisting older adults with their canine companions.
She was also an accomplished cook, he said, and loved the outdoors, belonging to three hiking clubs in Guelph.
“Before we moved here permanently in 2023, she had already pre-registered while we were still living in Manhattan for two hiking clubs in anticipation,” Tsavaris laughed.
The pair also enjoyed joining in on the Saturday Park Runs at York Road Park.
“We had a full life,” he said.
They decided to come to Guelph in part because one of Miki’s closest childhood friends lived here.
“His name is Michael, but he goes by Miki also,” he said. They called them Miki one and Miki two.
“She was the sister I never had, and I was the brother she never had,” he said in a victim impact statement presented to the court earlier this week.
The relationship was so strong that Tsavaris had just purchased a vanity licence plate for their car that said Miki one.
Both loved to travel the world, and had planned to “start their adventure travelling at least three to six months out of the year” after moving into their Wyndham Street condo in July.
Miki had spent a great deal of time planning every inch of her new home, and was looking forward to living in it.
“Both of us were very full of life, very young for our age in attitude and perspective,” he said. “It’s a relationship that won’t ever end.”
Though the provincial court matter has come to a close, the family is planning to take legal action privately.