Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips resigns over St. Barts vacation Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips resigns over St. Barts vacation The Ajax MPP's social media posts gave the impression he was still at home in Ontario By Kevin Ritchie The vacation is over for Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips. Premier Doug Ford said on Thursday afternoon that the minister resigned after taking a secret trip to a luxury Caribbean destination in the middle of the province-wide COVID-19 lockdown. “Today, following my conversation with Rod Phillips, I have accepted his resignation as Ontario’s Minister of Finance,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.