Ontario Education Minister Todd Smith resigns

Ontario Education Minister Todd Smith resigned his seat and from cabinet Friday to accept a job in the private sector less than three months after being given the education portfolio.

Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop will replace Smith as education minister, the province announced Friday afternoon.

Smith has served in cabinet since Premier Doug Ford's government was first elected in 2018, but spent the longest amount of time in the energy portfolio.

Sources who were not authorized to publicly discuss the issue have told The Canadian Press that Smith was not happy about the move to education in a cabinet shuffle in June, following three years as energy minister.

Ford's office said he will announce who will be stepping into the role of education minister at some point Friday afternoon.

Smith's resignation comes just one day after he announced a long-awaited new funding formula for child-care operators in the national $10-a-day program and an upcoming cut to the fees parents pay.

Smith, a widely liked politician at the legislature who got his start in radio broadcasting, said it was a very difficult decision to leave and he thanked his wife and children for their support over the years he has spent at the legislature.

"It hasn't always been easy," he wrote in his statement.

"The life of a politician is hard and takes its toll. Especially when I was away from home as often as I've been over the past 13 years. I couldn't have asked for a better support system at home."

Ford thanked Smith for his years of public service.

"He leaves politics with a record that he can be incredibly proud of, including and especially fixing the previous government's energy policies and bringing electricity prices down for hardworking families and businesses," Ford wrote in a statement.

"Todd will always be a friend and I can't wait to watch his every success as he starts this next chapter of his life."

Smith served as the provincial representative for Bay of Quinte and was first elected when the Progressive Conservatives were in opposition in 2011.

Focus on nuclear energy as minister

During Ford's tenure as premier, Smith also served as the economic development minister, minister of children, community and social services, and minister of government and consumer services. He was government house leader between June 2018 and June 2019.

Liberal energy critic Ted Hsu wished Smith well in a reply to Smith's departure notice on social media.

"You were a tough opponent to have on the energy file, someone with great communication talent," he wrote. "Good luck with your next opportunity!"

As energy minister, Smith put a focus on nuclear power as a key way to secure enough electricity generation to meet Ontario's fast-growing needs, and was easing the province back into bringing more green energy into the system after the Tories cancelled projects in 2018.

However, as part of the efforts to ensure a steady supply of electricity Smith also brought more natural gas generation into the system, increasing greenhouse gas emissions from the sector, a move for which he was heavily criticized by environmental groups.

Born and raised in New Brunswick, Smith studied at Loyalist College in eastern Ontario, then worked in local radio as the voice of Belleville Bulls hockey and later as news director of Quinte Broadcasting.

In a statement, Opposition NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized Smith's abrupt resignation, saying the education and child-care sectors are in crisis.

"That the brand-new education minister and minister in charge of child care abruptly jumps ship with less than three months on the job, the day after an important, long-delayed funding formula announcement for child care and just weeks before school is starting, shows the level of seriousness with which Doug Ford and his politicians take kids and families," Stiles said.