Today's Parent founder one of directors swept out of Ontario lottery corp

The founder of Today's Parent magazine and the Today's Parent Group, Beverly Topping, is one of the six directors of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) swept out of their positions today. The CEO of OLG, Kelly McDougald was also fired from her $400,000 position "with cause", according to a story in the Toronto Star.

The Ontario Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty is attempting by the dramatic move to head off a scandal as opposition parties are due to receive the results of a freedom-of-information request into OLG expenses.

According to the Star story, finance minister Dwight Duncan released the expenses data at the same time as announcing the purge.

Some of the flagged expenses show OLG members dinged taxpayers for such items as a $7.70 pen refill, the $1,000 cancellation of a deposit on a Florida condo due to work requirements, a $1.12 cloth grocery bag and a $30 car wash claim submitted without a receipt. Also expensed was $487.50 for a nanny to be paid so a worker could attend meetings from September 2006 to December 2006 - while no receipts were handed in, this expense was repaid.

Topping is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Corporate Directors. She created, built and sold Today's Parent Group to Rogers Publishing. At one time it consisted of 15 separate magazines and line extensions, two television series and the largest family database in Canada. She spent nine years as a director of Canada Trust and CT Financial, and eight years as a Director of Cara Operations (until its 2004 privatization). She is also a director for the Institute of Child Study and the Toronto International Film Festival Group.