Article content continued

“I think it really started with the hosting fee for Toronto,” Mr. Godfrey said of the premier’s decision to remove him. “It went downhill from there.”

I think it really started with the hosting fee for Toronto

Mr. Godfrey said Thursday he got the go ahead to pursue a hosting fee of up to $100-million for Toronto by the previous Liberal government regime, specifically former Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

“I knew that in order to have a shot of getting it through in Toronto, they needed upwards of $100-million,” he said. But when word spread that the city stood to land a special deal, Premier Wynne ordered the OLG back to the drawing board to come up with a fair revenue sharing model.

Mr. Godfrey also spoke out about the recent controversy around the pay of executives, and said the compensation rate had been approved by the previous cabinet.

Two directors of the departing board, Jason Melbourne and Bill Swirsky, attended the press conference and were among six members who expressed shock over Mr. Godfrey’s dismissal in a signed letter to Minister Sousa, which also announced their resignation. The group expressed concern that the government’s actions would “jeopardize” the OLG’s ability to meet its modernization goals of increasing annual returns by more than $1-billion. “Without Paul and what he has put together… there is nothing there for this board to do. It’s for another board to do,” said Mr. Swirsky.

Mr. Godfrey said he leaves the OLG in better shape than when he found it, citing record revenues, a trimmed work force and accolades for its responsible gaming programs. He said he will focus on his newspaper company, and still hopes to bring an NFL team to Toronto one day.

As for the way things ended with Premier Wynne, he stressed: “The fact is she has got every right to do this, it’s not that she did it. It was having, obviously, her office leak this to grease the skids. The skids didn’t have to be greased. I’m a big enough guy. I’ve got enough things going that one more or less is not going to be a big thing.”

National Post

nalcoba@nationalpost.com