Ontario PC caucus divided over hotel spending scandal

A scandal over expense claims by Ontario MPP Stan Cho has fractured the Progressive Conservative caucus, with members expressing frustration over the fallout and the premier's office's handling of the situation. Global News reported that Cho billed taxpayers and donors hundreds of thousands of dollars over three years, leading Premier Doug Ford to apologize and prompting a review of other PC Party caucus expenses.

Cho, who lives just six kilometers from Queen's Park, claimed over $16,000 for hotel stays in Toronto between 2023 and 2025 under a "special circumstance" allowance for Greater Toronto Area MPPs. During the same period, he also billed nearly $100,000 for food and beverages, over $6,000 for airfare, more than $12,000 for hotel rooms, and over $13,000 at sporting venues, often categorized as "meetings hosted."

The controversy has created divisions within the caucus, with some MPPs finding Cho's hotel expenses difficult to justify given his proximity to the legislature. The government subsequently eliminated the hotel expense allowance, angering caucus members who viewed it as a legitimate benefit that was being misused by a few.

Much of the anger, however, is directed at Premier Ford's office and Ford himself, due to what sources describe as shifting responses. Ford initially called Cho's hotel expenses a "mistake" and other PC MPP expenses "unacceptable," vowing repayment. This stance appears to contradict earlier instructions from the government. As recently as late 2025 and in 2022, the government house leader and caucus whip's office advised PC MPPs to prepare for night sittings by potentially booking hotel rooms, with one email stating, "Given the uncertainty in the coming days, members may want to arrange Toronto accommodation to ensure they are on or near the precinct until further notice."

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Given the uncertainty in the coming days, members may want to arrange Toronto accommodation to ensure they are on or near the precinct until further notice.