Ford Removes Paul Godfrey From Order of Ontario Council

Ontario Premier Doug Ford removed former Postmedia chairman Paul Godfrey from the Order of Ontario advisory council after Godfrey alleged that Ford's office used his son's company contract as political leverage connected to a pre-election opinion letter request.

The Ontario government said Friday that Godfrey, 87, was no longer serving on the nine-member council that reviews nominees for the province's highest civilian honour. He had been appointed in October 2024 for a term scheduled to end in October 2027.

According to The Globe and Mail, Ontario Citizenship and Multiculturalism Minister Graham McGregor's spokesperson Jaskarn Kailey said Godfrey made false public claims and created a conflict of interest.

"Mr. Godfrey has made false public claims and has put himself in a conflict of interest," said Jaskarn Kailey, a spokesperson for Graham McGregor.

Godfrey said he continued to stand by a sworn statement released publicly this week. His statement involved allegations that Patrick Sackville, then Ford's chief of staff, linked assistance with Keel Digital Solutions' proposed contract extension to a request involving Postmedia newspapers.

"I am grateful to the fine Ontarians who served on the advisory council with me. Many months ago, I signed a sworn statement under penalty of perjury that was made public this week. I stand by that statement," said Paul Godfrey.

"I am sure there will be more to say in the coming days and week," said Paul Godfrey.

Godfrey's statement alleged that Keel Digital's proposed three-year agreement with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities was connected to a request for Postmedia to publish a letter from Ford before the 2025 election.

"I have spent an entire career either in or around politics. I understood what this demand from the Premier's office meant. This was using political leverage and power over a small company to extract a benefit that Keel had no ability to provide," said Paul Godfrey.

Ford's office and Patrick Sackville rejected the allegation. Sackville told The Globe and Mail the claim was false, while the Premier's Office described the allegations as disconnected from reality.

"The allegation is entirely false," said Patrick Sackville.

"The claims are categorically untrue and completely disconnected from reality," said the Premier's Office.

Postmedia said the Premier's Office contacted its current CEO about a possible opinion article and that the editorial team decided whether to publish it.

"No commercial consideration would ever be required for the Premier, or any political figure, to share their opinion in our editorial pages," said Postmedia.

Keel Digital Solutions, led by Rob Godfrey, has faced an Ontario Provincial Police investigation and a legal dispute with the province. Ontario sued the company and executives, seeking $25.7 million, while the defendants denied wrongdoing and countersued for $100 million.