TORONTO – Paul Godfrey has been ousted as the Chair of the province’s gambling authority.
Godfrey was let go as the Chair of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) by the Liberal government Thursday afternoon, just over three years after his appointment in February, 2010.
Finance Minister Charles Sousa released a statement Thursday thanking Godfrey for leading a “significant turnaround” of the OLG.
“Under his leadership, OLG re-invented itself and became a modern and more efficient organization,” Sousa said in his statement. “OLG undertook a strategic business review of its entire operations that brought greater focus and discipline to this important public agency.”
News of his removal comes hours after Mayor Rob Ford declared plans for a Toronto casino “dead” and delayed the city’s debate on the issue because the province hasn’t yet released its hosting fee formula.
The mayor had been hoping for at least $100 million in hosting fees; information released late Thursday by the finance minister’s office suggested that number would be closer to $53 million.
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A casino in Toronto region was part of the OLG’s “modernization” strategy, which would see casinos be run by private companies in various gaming zones across the province.
Godfrey, who is also chair of Postmedia’s newspaper network, was seen to be less popular with Premier Kathleen Wynne than he was with her predecessor Dalton McGuinty, who named him head of the provincial gaming corporation in 2010.
Godfrey said he believes things started unravelling when he recommended Toronto be given a larger share of the take if a casino was located in the city.
He says that should not have been a surprise because Toronto gets special treatment in other areas.
But Wynne was opposed to that proposal and wanted all municipalities to be treated equally.
Godfrey said he didn’t believe his dismissal had anything to do with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s announcement Thursday that he had cancelled a special council meeting to consider the casino proposal.
He said everything that was done at OLG while he was chairman was taken to the government for approval.
The secretary of the cabinet, Peter Wallace, takes over as interim chairman.
With files from the Canadian Press
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