The province will have a new finance minister.
Rod Phillips has tendered his resignation after going on a Caribbean vacation during the pandemic.
The Member of Provincial Parliament from Ajax returned to the country Thursday morning from St. Barts as calls from the province have urged people to avoid non-essential travel.
Phillips offered an apology upon his arrival.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to again unreservedly apologize for my decision to travel during the holidays. I know that I disappointed a lot of people. I hope people appreciate I’ve disappointed no one more than myself,” says Phillips.
Phillips says it was also his decision not to tell Premier Doug Ford about the vacation, saying the Premier had more important things to worry about than the travel of his Minister.
Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy will assume the role of minister of finance, which includes deliver the government’s 2021 budget.
In her reaction, NDP leader Andrea Horwath still feels the Premier was fully aware of Phillips’ travel plans.
“Doug Ford knew about Rod Phillips’ trip to St. Barts two weeks ago. Not only did Ford not fire him then, he helped him keep the trip a secret. Phillips’ resignation from cabinet today is not because of Phillips’ vacation, it’s because they got caught,” says Horwath.
(With files from Kevin Jeffrey/99.9 The Bay)
