James J. Lawson is Chief Executive Officer of Woodbine Entertainment Group, a businessman and lawyer.
[7] From 1979 to 1982, he played three professional seasons for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, the Canadiens' affiliate in the American Hockey League.
[8] In November 2019, Lawson stepped down as Chair in order to focus full-time on his increasingly time-consuming role as CEO of Woodbine Entertainment Group, which by then included not only racetracks and a casino but real estate development near Toronto Airport.
[7][11] He was fired from Westerkirk Capital amid allegations including self-dealing, forgery and misusing his office equipment to view pornography.
[14] Prior to the 2010 Queen's Plate, which is held yearly at the Woodbine Racetrack, Queen Elizabeth II, who was in attendance, approached Lawson, whose family was running a horse Ghost Fleet in the race, to discuss horse breeding and his family's history in racing.
[15] The Queen was intrigued by Ghost Fleet's lineage to Northern Dancer, the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and a prolific sire.