Paul Godfrey, Toronto’s immeasurably imaginative media mogul and freewheeling political operative, publicly accused the premier’s office of essentially shaking him down to get free publicity in the National Post.
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Godfrey → accuse → Post
To wit: If only Godfrey could place the premier’s words in the pages of the Post, well, there would be more government business for his son Rob’s embattled company — now embroiled in a multimillion-dollar contract dispute with Ford’s government.
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Godfrey → place → government
It’s all hinted at in the sworn affidavit from Godfrey the elder, filed in legal proceedings as his son’s fledgling firm Keel Digital Solutions spiralled into receivership this month.
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firm → hint → receivership
Ford’s office denied the allegations vociferously.
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office → deny → allegations
You might think the premier would be feeling the heat after this latest eruption of bad news, plastered in all the papers (except the Post).
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premier → think → Post
Ford’s office called the allegations ‘categorically untrue,’ while Postmedia said publishing the premier’s op-ed required no special consideration.
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publishing → call → consideration
Ford’s office called the allegations ‘categorically untrue,’ while Postmedia said publishing the premier’s op-ed required no special consideration.
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publishing → call → consideration
Ford is feeling utterly chill.
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Ford → feel → ?
While all eyes were briefly on the allegations from Godfrey — eye-popping to some, eye-rolling to many others who know how newspapers work — Ford could sleep soundly at night.
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Ford → roll → night
That’s because the premier is blissfully unperturbed by a police investigation into the far more problematic Greenbelt imbroglio, which seems to be sleepwalking.
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which → ’ → imbroglio
Far more concerning than Godfrey’s titillating tale is the fact that police still haven’t wrapped up their work on the $8.28-billion Greenbelt morass, three years after it began.
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it → titillate → morass
“To protect the integrity of the investigation, we cannot provide information at this time,” the RCMP said in a written statement this month.
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RCMP → protect → statement
A former solicitor general, Bob Runciman, told the Star’s Robert Benzie that the police silence is “unconscionable.”
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silence → tell → Benzie
He called on police — the RCMP’s Sensitive and International Investigations unit is in charge — to give some kind of public update or status report, rather than letting it drag on endlessly.
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it → call → update
The Greenbelt story reeked of suspected impropriety if not illegality, involving big money and big property deals.
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story → reek → money
Political staff were allegedly trading information with private developers about tracts of protected land that would miraculously be rezoned by Ford’s government into new profit centres.
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that → trade → centres
Once buried in the backrooms, the Greenbelt blew up in the premier’s face and landed on the front pages.
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Greenbelt → bury → pages
Under pressure, Ford cancelled his planned bulldozing of the Greenbelt and publicly apologized for the blunder.
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Ford → cancel → blunder
The damage was done.
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damage → do → ?
Compared to the ephemeral and unproven Godfrey insinuations, the Greenbelt allegations were always more grave — politically and legally ethically speaking.
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allegations → compare → insinuations
Yet police have remained mum and moribund since taking on the case in October of 2023.
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police → remain → 2023
The stench lingered at first, but conveniently faded away just in time for the next election in early 2025.
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stench → linger → 2025
The scandal claimed two members of cabinet — Steve Clark, who quit as minister of municipal affairs (partly rehabilitated by Ford as government house leader), and business service delivery minister Kaleed Rashid.
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who → claim → leader
In the aftermath of the 2025 campaign, another scandal emerged over questionable disbursements from the $2.5 billion Skills Development Fund, much of it awarded to private sector union locals supportive of Ford’s re-election.
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much → emerge → election
Compared to the Greenbelt scandal and the skills development stories, the Godfrey yarn seems a stretch.
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yarn → compare → scandal
As the National Post’s owners pointed out in a statement denying any interference, Godfrey no longer worked as chair of the company; in any case, they were contacted directly by the premier’s office about running the article under his byline — with no need for Godfrey as a go-between.
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they → point → between
A cursory search of the Star’s archives would show that we have published columns by many premiers without any quid pro quo.
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we → show → quo
In truth, I’ve been asked by people in power and out of power, in public life and civil society, in the corporate and charitable sectors, for help in getting a piece published.
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piece → ask → help
All I do is pass on the request to the editors.
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I → do → editors
So whether your name is Doug Ford or Paul Godfrey, just send it directly by email to oped@thestar.ca — the address isn’t secret, it’s published online — and keep it under 650 words.
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it → send → words
Still, you have to marvel at Godfrey for swearing — on his honour — that this was a nefarious plot by the premier’s office to extract a special benefit in exchange for keeping his son’s company alive.
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this → have → company
Godfrey is certainly a character in this town, a political chancer and fixer, a wheeler-dealer who whispered in the ears of journalists (breaking his oath of secrecy from time to time), then boxing his opponents on the ears.
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who → whisper → ears
As amusing as his sworn musings might seem to some, the sad truth is that l’affaire Godfrey — father and son and firm — is no laughing matter.
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Godfrey → swear → some
The government has accused Keel Digital of serious improprieties (it handed the audits over to the Ontario Provincial Police) and the firm has countersued the government for $100 million.
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firm → accuse → million
Better for the police to get moving on the Greenbelt scandal that has left the public in the dark for three years.
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that → move → years
The Aporia
