Entire OLG board resigns after Paul Godfrey ousted as chairman

Former Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation chairman Paul Godfrey says, from his understanding, the entire OLG board of directors has resigned.

This comes after Godfrey was officially removed from his post as OLG chair by Premier Kathleen Wynne earlier Thursday.

Some have speculated that the mass resignations come in protest to Godfrey’s removal, however that has not been confirmed.

In the interim, Godfrey, who has been chair since February 2010, will be replaced by Peter Wallace, Secretary of the Cabinet.

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said he spoke to Godfrey Thursday afternoon and thanked him for his service.

“Mr. Godfrey led a significant turnaround in the operations of the OLG. Based on his extensive career in public office and in the private sector, Mr. Godfrey brought seasoned leadership and deep commitment to his role as Chair of OLG,” Sousa said in a statement.

“The Government of Ontario appreciates the commitment that Mr. Godfrey has made as Chair of OLG, and thanks him for the significant accomplishments made during this period,” he added.

There has been no reason given for Godfrey being removed, and he told reporters that he was given no answer when he asked Sousa about the removal, other than the organization was heading in a new direction.

Godfrey did, however, say that casino hosting fees of $50-100 million were approved by former finance minister Dwight Duncan.

Godfrey added that he understands Wynne wants her own people running the OLG, although he was upset that the story leaked earlier this week.

He says he will now focus on bringing an NFL team to Toronto, saying we will see an NFL team here in his lifetime.