Simplicity Car Care North York Central is a brand new facility that’s well positioned for the future

Simplicity Car Care North York Central is an impressive operation. This state-of-the-art facility opened in November 2025, but the journey in getting here is one of incredible resilience, focus and commitment. Shangar Sinniah, who owns and operates the business, is a first generation immigrant to Canada who always had a passion for cars. “I originally trained as an automotive technician, and worked servicing and fixing vehicles. In Canada after four years working as a technician, Sinniah had an opportunity to acquire his own business. “I specialized in electrical work and stereo installations,” he says and Shangar, got involved with the local custom and import car scene. Yet after several break ins and seeing where trends were headed, he decided it was time for a career shift.

Taking an opportunity
“I decided to take an opportunity and go into collision repair,” he says. So in 2005, he embarked on the next phase of his career. Shangar found a location for his business, was able to acquire the equipment  he needed and off he went. “It was hard at first, “ he said, “getting customers was tough,” but things turned around when he was able to solicit business from franchised dealers. Bit by bit, the business, located in Scarborough, Ont., grew. As it did and his reputation became more established, Sinniah could also see that the collision repair industry was changing and that if he wanted to succeed long term, becoming a franchisee in a network would offer multiple benefits, including major contracts with insurers.

“I started looking at franchise opportunities, and came very close to getting onboard with a network at my previous location, but ultimately we just couldn’t make it work,” he says.

Nevertheless, Sinniah persevered, and eventually found himself involved with another network franchise opportunity, this time with Simplicity Car Care. “I knew Frank Ieraci [father of Simplicity Car Care President Domenic Ieraci], for a long time,” says Sinniah. I mentioned to him that I had been trying to get a franchise for over 10 years. He told me about a new territory opportunity that was becoming available and so I decided to meet with the Simplicity Car Care team and see what options were available.”

We look forward to being part of this great network and the opportunities that lie ahead. – Shangar Sinniah, owner, Simplicity Car Care North York Central

New location
When Sinniah stumbled upon a disused building in North York on St. Regis Crescent things really started to come together. “It was an old mechanical shop that had been acquired by the Government of Ontario. The intention had been to acquire the facility and tear it down as part of a subway project in the area, but the plans never came to fruition and the building and the lot was put up for sale.

Sinniah was able to acquire it, with the goal of building a brand new facility from the ground up, as Simplicity Car Care North York Central. Yet timing, as it often does, would play a part in the project. “We got the building and lot and started applying for permits to tear it down to the foundation and rebuild it,” says Sinniah. The trouble was, this was early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and lockdowns began. “When COVID hit, everything got delayed, says Sinniah.

Finally, things began to move forward, the permits were approved, the old facility was torn down, and construction of the brand new collision centre began. Sat in his office, Sinniah showed me how the project came together and given the circumstances, it was incredible to see this brand new facility firsthand. Construction was finally completed during 2025, and an official opening took place in November.

Sinniah his daughter, Nirusha Shangar and the whole team at Simplicity Car Care North York Central are understandably proud of the new collision centre, which covers 5500 square feet, and includes state of the art equipment, including a down draft spray booth, Pro Spot advanced welding equipment, and dedicated aluminum repair tools, plus the facility has complete ADAS calibration tools to ensure today’s vehicles are returned to true pre-crash condition.

Experienced team
The business has six full-time staff including three licensed technicians, “As a technician myself, I value experience, expertise and education,” says Sinniah. Although trained in the craft, he says that these days, most of his time is spent managing, training and developing the team as well as business operations and strategy. A key part of the business is focused not on just repairing passenger cars, SUVs and mid-size and full-size 1/2 ton pickups but also larger vehicles, including heavy duty pickups and commercial vans, including high roof offerings. “That’s one reason for the height of the building and the taller access doors,” says Nirusha, as we look at a Mercedes-Benz high roof Sprinter undergoing major collision repairs. Sinniah also adds that he had to install a spray booth that could handle these larger vehicles. “In our old location, we didn’t have the space to do that, so it’s great to now have that flexibility and opportunity.

Shangar Sinniah has seen first hand how rapidly the collision repair industry has evolved since he started 20 years ago, including the advances in vehicle technology and the type of repairs required. “Fender benders today are no longer low-cost repairs,” he says. “If a bumper needs to be repaired or replaced, there are many aspects involved, including the way it is repaired, the type of paint used and ensuring the ADAS works correctly. Even something like a cracked or damaged headlight can run thousands of dollars, where once it was a cheap and easy fix. It is a different business today.”

Even though Sinniah is relatively new to the Simplicity Car Care network in terms of having the business up and running as a franchise location, he says that he’s already seeing the benefits. These include the support the network provides in terms of operational practices, training and equipment, as well as access to higher volumes of insurance work. “We’re already witnessing the seeds of that,” Sinniah explains, “and we look forward to being part of this great network and the opportunities that lie ahead.”