Ontario PC MPPs who spent big on hotels face questions as minister resigns

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says all his MPPs who charged hotel expenses for stays in downtown Toronto will repay them, but his office hasn’t said which — if any — have actually handed the money back.

On Friday morning, Ford accepted Stan Cho’s resignation as minister of tourism after he claimed more than $16,000 over three years for hotel stays in Toronto, where he lives.

The MPP for Willowdale said he had paid back the entire sum by the time he resigned.

But Cho was only the third-highest spender of the Progressive Conservative Party on hotel rooms and one of four who spent north of $15,000 over the past three years.

Charmaine Williams claimed $15,865 for Toronto hotels, while Nina Tangri spent $18,976. In three years, Hardeep Grewal charged the legislature $27,275.

The trio — two cabinet ministers and a parliamentary assistant — represent ridings in Mississauga between 35 and 45 km from Queen’s Park

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“It’s unacceptable, it’s not how we operate. We have to be prudent fiscal managers,” Ford said on Friday. “It’s just unacceptable, and they’re paying back every single penny of it.”

It’s not clear, however, if any of the other MPPs have paid the money back.

The premier’s office has not responded to questions from Global News asking who else has paid back the expenses.

Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser said the other MPPs should follow Cho’s lead and resign.

“Yes. If they have a driver, if they have abused taxpayer money by taking advantage of a loophole in the rules, should they really be ministers?” he said. “Minister Cho did the thing that seemed to be the right thing, albeit too late.”

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she wanted to see receipts made public, whether the trio set aside or not.

“I think that resigning is certainly an option for all of them, and they should take this very seriously,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles told reporters.

“But that will not stop us from demanding answers: how did they ever get the idea that this was acceptable and why?”

Ford said Cho had done “the right thing” by resigning, but didn’t comment on his other MPPs and ministers.