FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 14, 2026
TORONTO, ON — Today, MPP John Fraser, Interim Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, issued the following statement in response to Minister Stan Cho’s Hotel usage.
We now know that in the past three years Minister Cho has charged taxpayers more than $16,000 for downtown Toronto hotel stays despite living just six kilometres from Queen’s Park, with access to a taxpayer funded vehicle and driver. It’s all simply out of touch with the reality of Ontarians’ everyday lives. Ontarians already struggling with affordability are expected to pay the bill.
After eight years under Doug Ford, his government has normalized a culture where extravagant spending with public money is treated as business as usual. From a $28.9 million luxury private jet to taxpayer-funded hotel stays for a minister who could reach Queen’s Park from Willowdale on a single subway line, Ontarians are once again left asking why they are expected to pay the bill.
The public purse is not the Progressive Conservatives’ personal piggy bank. Every single dollar spent belongs to Ontario taxpayers, but they all seem to think it’s for private jets and fancy hotels.
The Legislative Assembly’s accommodation policy exists for a reason. It is intended to help members deal with special circumstances such as severe weather, late-night sittings, or other genuine emergencies. It was never meant to become a routine convenience for a minister who lives minutes from the Legislature.
Why were these claims submitted in the first place?
While Minister Cho has now promised to repay expenses that do not meet ‘the spirit’ of the rules, Ontarians deserve answers. How many hotel stays were billed? How much money will actually be repaid? Will the minister be allowed to keep his job after this scandal?
After eight long years, this government is out of touch and out of gas. Ontario families deserve a government that respects taxpayer dollars instead of looking for new ways to spend them.