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

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

Sources not authorized to discuss the matter publicly told the Canadian press that Smith was not happy about the move to education in a cabinet shuffle in June, after three years as Energy Minister.

His resignation came 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 reduction in fees paid by parents.

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

He wrote in his statement, “It hasn’t always been easy.”

He added, “The life of a politician is tough and has its losses. Especially when you have been away from home as much as I have 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.

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

He added, “Todd will always be a friend, and I can’t wait to see all of his success as he begins this next chapter of his life.”

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

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

In the legislature, Smith also served as Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.