Bill’s Toyota photo from left to right, Matthew Butcher, Mo Eftekhari, Joe Butera, Luciano Butera and Jason Smith
Canada’s oldest Toyota dealership has been sold to an emerging auto group that has been adding stores in recent years and is keen on adding more. Bill’s Toyota, a landmark in Fort Erie since it became Toyota’s first dealership in Canada in 1965, has been acquired by Northern Roads Auto Group from Bill Jr. and Michael Pacinsky, sons of founder Bill Pasincky Sr.
Northern Roads is headed up by CEO Luciano Butera and partners Moe Eftekhari, who is the COO, and Matt Butcher, who is the Vice President. Luciano’s father, Joe, who is Northern Roads’ Chairman and semi-retired late last year, started out in the business in 1993 with a used car outlet and then opened Cardinal Kia, one of the first Kia stores in Canada, in Niagara Falls in 1999.
Luciano left a few years later to pursue a legal career that included five years with Cox Automotive. He rejoined the family business in April 2023. Besides Cardinal Kia and Bill’s Toyota, Northern Roads also owns Lindsay Kia and Belleville Chrysler. Luciano said his company had been pursuing Bill’s Toyota for the last 12 month because it is close to Northern Road’s head office in Niagara Falls and considers Fort Erie an emerging market.
“It is a heritage store, it’s well established, well known in the community and has a great location,” said Luciano. “We think it’s a privilege to take over the Pacinsky’s family legacy. Having the oldest Toyota store in Canada, we think it’s a marquee acquisition. We know it’s a smaller market, but for us there’s a lot of history, and we kind of identify with that because we were among the first Kia dealers to open in Canada.”
He said he can identify with the struggles the Pacinskys went through. “We talked about that at length,” said Luciano. “They mirrored our own with a brand that was unknown (in the beginning) to the country. Obviously back then everyone was skeptical but today everyone knows Toyota, its reputation for quality and innovation, much like how everyone has come to know Kia as well. Toyota is a very strong brand, and in our view one of the best brands in the world.
“To get to where we are today takes a lot of sacrifice and tenacity. Bill Sr. reminds me a lot of my father, a strong ethnic immigrant with a work ethic that just doesn’t quit, especially when times get tough.”
He said the plan is to update the dealership’s facilities to Toyota’s current national image standards and electrification requirements, including adding drive-through service bays, electric vehicle charging stations and an automated car wash.
Jason Smith, who was the Used Car Sales Manager at Cardinal Kia, will take over as GM of Bill’s Toyota. He said Northern Road’s plan is to continue to acquire more dealerships and expand its brand portfolio, especially because some dealers may not have succession plans in place and are looking to retire and exit the business.
“We’d prefer acquiring stores that are well rooted in the community, family orientated with a strong team that cares about their customers,” said Luciano.
Luciano said the company is building a new Kia dealership in Niagara Falls. The dealership will be one of Kia’s largest in Canada when it is completed in the Spring of 2026. It will include more than 20 service bays, a collision centre, automated car wash and Kia Canada’s first EV Charging Canopy with 10 charging stations.
