Paul Victor Godfrey, CM, OOnt (born January 1939) is a businessman and former Canadian politician. During his career, Godfrey was a

North York North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...

alderman, Chairman of Metro Toronto, President of the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'' and head of the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He was instrumental in bringing the Toronto Blue Jays to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and has campaigned to bring the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

to Toronto. He is the former President and CEO of

Postmedia Network Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is a Canadian media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, news ...

Background

Born in

, Ontario, Godfrey grew up in a working class Jewish family near the

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

neighbourhood of Toronto, the son of Bess (Greenbaum) and Philip Godfrey.Al Parker. Five Questions for Paul Godfrey. Toronto Sun. December 20, 2008

/ref> He later moved to the Bathurst Street, Toronto, Bathurst and

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

area of

. After graduating from

C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute is a semestered public secondary school in the Keele Street, Keele and Finch Avenue, Finch area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History The school was founded in 1965. It was named after Charles William Jefferys, ...

, he attended the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Applied Science The Bachelor of Applied Science, often abbreviated as B.AS., BAS, BSAS, BASc, B.A.Sc., or BAppSc, is an undergraduate degree. There are also ''Bachelor of Arts and Science'' and ''Bachelor of Administration Science'' undergraduate degrees, also a ...

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

. In 1999, he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. In 2010, he was appointed to the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

. His underbite jaw was surgically corrected in August 1981, a trait for which he had been satirized for years.

Politics

He entered politics as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in 1964, serving until 1973. In 1970, he was appointed to North York's Board of Control to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Controller John Booth. He also joined

Metropolitan Toronto Council The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...

for the first time, by virtue of being a Controller. He was re-elected to the Board of Control in 1969. In 1973, he was appointed

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Metropolitan Toronto The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...

following the death of Metro chairman Albert Campbell, and served until 1984. Godfrey was attributed with backing a campaign led by pro-development Conservatives and Liberals united behind the candidacy of

Art Eggleton Arthur C. Eggleton (born September 29, 1943) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 59th and longest-serving mayor of Toronto from 1980 to 1991. He was elected to Parliament in 1993, running as a Liberal in York Centre and served as ...

, to unseat the left-wing Toronto mayor

John Sewell John Sewell (born December 8, 1940) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the 58th mayor of Toronto from 1978 to 1980. Background Born and raised in the Beach neighbourhood, in Toronto, Sewell attended Malvern Collegiate Institute ...

. In 1985, it was reported Godfrey had joined the new Ontario Premier

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on Daredevil (Marvel Comics ser ...

's informal "kitchen cabinet", a group which met on Thursday mornings at the Sutton Place Hotel to discuss issues of the day during breakfast. This was similar to a "breakfast club" set up by the previous premier,

Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Peel in the 1959 provincia ...

, but with a more right-wing bent. Godfrey was chair of the

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal c ...

from 2009 until he was fired on May 16, 2013, by Premier

Kathleen Wynne Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...

. During the Ontario PC Party of Ontario's 2015 leadership race, Godfrey endorsed Barrie MP Patrick Brown for leader.

Media

In 1984, after he left politics he joined the ''

'' as publisher and CEO. In 1991 he succeeded founder Douglas Creighton as president and chief operating officer of Toronto Sun Publishing. In 1992 he became CEO of Toronto Sun Publishing replacing founder Doug Creighton. Creighton was forced to resign by the board of directors and the parent company,

Maclean Hunter Maclean-Hunter (M-H) was a Canadian communications company, which had diversified holdings in radio, television, magazines, newspapers and cable television distribution. History The company began in 1887, when brothers John Bayne Maclean and Hugh ...

. In 1996, Godfrey led a successful attempt by Sun management to buy back control, allowing it to become an independent entity once again. Two years later, Godfrey organized a deal with

Conrad Black Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. His father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canadi ...

to swap the

Financial Post The ''Financial Post'' was an English Canadian business newspaper, which published from 1907 to 1998. In 1998, the publication was folded into the new ''National Post'',"Black says Post to merge with new paper". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 23, ...

with four daily newspapers in southwestern Ontario. These included the

Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Hami ...

Kitchener-Waterloo Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

Guelph Mercury The ''Guelph Mercury'' was an English language daily newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It published a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, w ...

, and

Cambridge Reporter The ''Cambridge Reporter'' was a local daily newspaper in Southern Ontario serving the community of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1846 as the ''Galt Reporter'' by Peter Jaffray, a Scottish settler who was originally from Stirli ...

. In October 1998, Sun Media was approached by

Torstar Corporation Torstar Corporation is a Canadian mass media company which primarily publishes daily and community newspapers. In addition to the ''Toronto Star'', its flagship and namesake, Torstar also publishes daily newspapers in Hamilton, Peterborough, Ni ...

in an unsolicited takeover bid for $748 million. Godfrey said he was surprised by the move. Two months later

Quebecor Media Inc. Quebecor Media Inc. is a Canadian media conglomerate that owns a wide array of media outlets, as well as an internet service provider. History In 1983 Quebecor purchased the Winnipeg Sun newspaper, which had been independently run. The newspap ...

made a higher and eventually more successful bid for a reported $983 million. Godfrey was a key figure in seeking out Quebecor as an alternative buyer. After the sale, Quebecor, initially heralded as a "white knight" buyer, forced Godfrey to cut 180 jobs from his newspaper. In November 2000, Godfrey announced that he was stepping down as CEO of Sun Media. There was some speculation that he was uncomfortable while under the control of Quebecor. He remained on the board of Sun Media. He had been named president and CEO of

The National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Mo ...

, starting in 2009. He has been President and CEO of

, since July 13, 2010. He took a $900,000 bonus during a time Postmedia laid off staff company-wide. Godfrey stepped down as President and CEO of Postmedia in 2019; he remains as executive chairman of the company.

SkyDome

In 1984 he was appointed to the board of a new crown agency called the Stadium Corporation of Ontario along with Larry Grossman and Hugh Macaulay. Its mandate was to choose the location and design for a new domed stadium that would eventually become

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, i ...

. Godfrey stayed on the board until February 1989 when he resigned. He had been accused of being in a conflict of interest because of his involvement with a group lobbying for an NFL franchise in Toronto. Godfrey denied that there was any conflict and also denied that this had anything to do with his resignation. However, Godfrey remained on the board of directors of the Stadium Corporation, a separate entity, until 1998 when he resigned shortly before SkyDome filed for bankruptcy. He said his resignation would have no effect on the process. Godfrey said "... It didn't make much sense to me to have separate directors and shareholder meetings when the shareholders should be making all the decisions ... My resignation just streamlines the process."

Blue Jays

On 1 September 2000, Godfrey became president and CEO of the

baseball club when

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of mobile phone operator, wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet access, Intern ...

bought the baseball club. He stepped down as president on September 22, 2008, after eight years. During his tenure, the team payroll increased from US $46 million to US $98 million. While the Blue Jays posted four out of eight seasons better than .500, they achieved no better than second place in the American League East division. In 2004, the Blue Jays purchased SkyDome for $25 million, far below its original construction cost of $650 million. The purchase gave Godfrey more latitude in controlling the total game experience.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

Godfrey was announced as the chair of the

, a role in which he served until being dismissed in 2013.

Other positions

Godfrey served on the board of directors of the now defunct

CanWest Global Communications Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting an ...

, and presently as a director of

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust is the second-largest real estate investment trust (REIT) in Canada. It has an enterprise value of approximately $14 billion, and owns 289 primarily retail properties, with a net leasable area of 44 million ...

, CargoJet Income Fund and

Astral Astral may refer to: Concepts of the non-physical * Astral body, a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers * Astral journey (or ''astral trip''), the same as having an ''out-of-body experience'' * Astral plane (AKA astral world), a ...

References

External links

Herbie Fund
A fund Godfrey established with his wife, Gina, at the Hospital for Sick Children. {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Paul 1939 births Living people Astral Media people Businesspeople from Toronto Major League Baseball executives Major League Baseball team presidents Canadian sports businesspeople Jewish Canadian politicians Jewish Canadian sportspeople Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Chairmen of Metropolitan Toronto Toronto Blue Jays executives University of Toronto alumni 20th-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people) 21st-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people) People from North York National Post people Canadian corporate directors Canadian chief executives Canadian sports executives and administrators