Ontario Premier Doug Ford said today that hotel expenditures from members of provincial parliament who live near Queen\u2019s Park are \u201ctotally unacceptable,\u201d after news this week that some Progressive Conservative MPPs were billing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars for hotel stays.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ford was asked about the hotel stays at an event in Windsor, Ont. on Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him, \u2018You\u2019re paying back every single penny,\u2019\u201d 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\u00a0Global News<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n At present, MPPs who live within 50 km of Queen\u2019s Park can be reimbursed for Toronto hotel stays, under special circumstances \u2014 such as a snowstorm. Now the Ford government is looking to eliminate the\u00a0rule<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reaction from political opposition has been swift.<\/p>\n In a\u00a0statement<\/a> on Instagram, NDP leader Marit Stiles said, \u201cMinister Cho billed $16,000 in downtown Toronto hotels while living seven subway stops from Queen\u2019s Park, with a taxpayer-funded car and driver.\u201d Stiles is calling for the Greater Toronto Area MPPs to pay back everything they expensed.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe provision allowing MPPs to claim \u2018extenuating circumstances\u2019 was never intended to become a standing subsidy,\u201d said Stephanie Bowman, Liberal MPP and finance critic, in a statement to\u00a0Canada\u2019s National Observer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bowman is also concerned that every cabinet minister except Williams claimed hotel expenses in November 2025, which is when Ford hosted his\u00a0$1,500-per-ticket<\/a> Ontario PC fundraiser. \u201cOntarians deserve to know whether taxpayer-funded accommodations were connected to partisan activities,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner told\u00a0CNO that he isn\u2019t aware of any extenuating circumstances that would have led MPPs to expense hotel stays in November 2025. \u201cI\u2019m deeply concerned that the Ford government is abusing taxpayer dollars in a way to benefit themselves personally,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Schreiner said the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario should ensure that all MPPs abide by the\u00a0Members\u2019 Integrity Act<\/a>, and that there should be accountability measures beyond simply repaying the funds. \u201cIf [Ford] is truly as mad as he says he is, then I would hold these MPPs accountable in a way that\u2019s meaningful to the people of Ontario,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ford was in hot water with taxpayers just a few months ago for using public funds to\u00a0purchase<\/a> a $28.9 million private jet. Schreiner was also quick to list some of his other controversies: \u201cSubsidizing a mega spa on Toronto\u2019s waterfront, fighting to expand Billy Bishop airport to bail out American bankers \u2026 Over and over again, this government is clearly only focused on benefitting themselves and the rich and powerful people around them.\u201d<\/p>\n Some are calling for further action to be taken against the MPPs, assuming their hotel room spending was unjustified.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cReturning the money doesn\u2019t mean you didn\u2019t violate the rules,\u201d said Duff Conacher, director of\u00a0Democracy Watch<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n If the MPPs are found to have used the public\u2019s funds for personal reasons, Conacher told\u00a0CNO that they should lose their seats. \u201cThe worst thing you can do is steal the public\u2019s money,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n