Ontario Premier Doug Ford said today that hotel expenditures from members of provincial parliament who live near Queen’s Park are “totally unacceptable,” after news this week that some Progressive Conservative MPPs were billing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars for hotel stays. 

Ford was asked about the hotel stays at an event in Windsor, Ont. on Thursday. 

“I told him, ‘You’re paying back every single penny,’” Ford said, in reference to Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho, who spent more than $16,000 of public funds on Toronto hotel stays since 2023. Cho has agreed to personally repay all the expenses, according to Global News.

Other MPPs from within the Toronto region are also under fire for their spending. Among them are Brampton East MPP Hardeep Grewal, who billed more than $27,000 in Toronto hotel stays since 2023; Charmaine Williams, associate minister of women’s social and economic opportunity, who spent more than $15,000; and Nina Tangri, associate minister of small business, who cost taxpayers nearly $19,000 for accommodations. 

At present, MPPs who live within 50 km of Queen’s Park can be reimbursed for Toronto hotel stays, under special circumstances — such as a snowstorm. Now the Ford government is looking to eliminate the rule. 

Reaction from political opposition has been swift.

In a statement on Instagram, NDP leader Marit Stiles said, “Minister Cho billed $16,000 in downtown Toronto hotels while living seven subway stops from Queen’s Park, with a taxpayer-funded car and driver.” Stiles is calling for the Greater Toronto Area MPPs to pay back everything they expensed. 

“The provision allowing MPPs to claim ‘extenuating circumstances’ was never intended to become a standing subsidy,” said Stephanie Bowman, Liberal MPP and finance critic, in a statement to Canada’s National Observer. 

Bowman is also concerned that every cabinet minister except Williams claimed hotel expenses in November 2025, which is when Ford hosted his $1,500-per-ticket Ontario PC fundraiser. “Ontarians deserve to know whether taxpayer-funded accommodations were connected to partisan activities,” she said. 

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner told CNO that he isn’t aware of any extenuating circumstances that would have led MPPs to expense hotel stays in November 2025. “I’m deeply concerned that the Ford government is abusing taxpayer dollars in a way to benefit themselves personally,” he said. 

Schreiner said the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario should ensure that all MPPs abide by the Members’ Integrity Act, and that there should be accountability measures beyond simply repaying the funds. “If [Ford] is truly as mad as he says he is, then I would hold these MPPs accountable in a way that’s meaningful to the people of Ontario,” he said. 

Ford was in hot water with taxpayers just a few months ago for using public funds to purchase a $28.9 million private jet. Schreiner was also quick to list some of his other controversies: “Subsidizing a mega spa on Toronto’s waterfront, fighting to expand Billy Bishop airport to bail out American bankers … Over and over again, this government is clearly only focused on benefitting themselves and the rich and powerful people around them.”

Some are calling for further action to be taken against the MPPs, assuming their hotel room spending was unjustified. 

“Returning the money doesn’t mean you didn’t violate the rules,” said Duff Conacher, director of Democracy Watch, a citizen advocacy group for government accountability. Conacher believes there should be an investigation into the spending by the integrity commissioner. He is also exploring avenues for legal action. 

If the MPPs are found to have used the public’s funds for personal reasons, Conacher told CNO that they should lose their seats. “The worst thing you can do is steal the public’s money,” he said.