Ford government used “leverage” over taxpayer-funded company to extract political benefit: legal letter
In January 2025, as Premier Ford was preparing to call a snap election, Ford’s then chief of staff placed a phone call to discuss provincial funding along with a “favour.”
Former Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey's legal letter accuses Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office of using its "leverage and power" over a taxpayer-funded company to secure a political benefit before the 2025 election. Godfrey's son, Rob Godfrey, owns Keel Digital Solutions, a company under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for allegedly misleading the province to receive millions in additional funding.
The company, currently in receivership, has denied any fraud and countersued for $100 million. The OPP investigation is ongoing.
In late 2024, when Keel was requesting a three-year funding extension, Paul Godfrey claims that officials in the Ministry of Colleges and Universities submitted the request to the Treasury Board based on the company's past success. According to Godfrey, Premier Ford's office sought to use the funding to gain a political advantage, mentioning a "favor" in a phone call with Rob Godfrey.
Godfrey alleges that Ford wanted to publish a letter to voters in Postmedia newspapers before officially calling the election to make his case for the early election.
The Premier's Office vehemently denies the allegations, calling them "categorically untrue and completely disconnected from reality." They point out that the Premier regularly contributes op-eds to various publications, including the National Post, Financial Post, the Sun chain, the Toronto Star, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.
Postmedia also disputes the allegations, stating that they have no knowledge of the background events and that editorial pages are published based on public interest, not commercial considerations.
Paul Godfrey states that while he was uncomfortable with the request, he fulfilled it to "help both parties," citing his desire to see his son and the Progressive Conservatives succeed. The allegations were made during the snap election called by Premier Ford on January 28, 2025, which resulted in Ford's third majority mandate.
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