Also moves to kill hotel expense rule amid widening MPP spending scandal
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is moving to contain damage from a growing expenses controversy, announcing a hiring freeze at the Premier's Office and signalling it will eliminate a rule that allowed Greater Toronto Area members of provincial parliament to bill taxpayers for hotel stays in the city.
The twin announcements follow a week of mounting scrutiny over expense claims that opposition parties and the Liberal Party have compared to treating the public treasury as a personal account.
An internal memo obtained by the Globe and Mail shows that Ford's chief of staff, Travis Kann — who took over the top post in March — wrote to all Premier's Office staff and government chiefs of staff on Thursday to announce the changes.
According to the Globe, the memo states the office has eliminated 10 positions for annual savings totalling $1,074,500. Kann wrote that the government "takes very seriously our responsibility to treat taxpayers with respect," and that productivity improvements have included relocating staff to other areas of government as well as outright departures.
‘Rigour and discipline’: hiring freeze
"To maintain this rigour and discipline, I will be putting in place a hiring freeze for Premier's Office," Kann wrote, according to the Globe and Mail. Under the new policy, any new hire will require approval from the chief of staff or deputy chief of staff following a review by a human resources committee.
Promotions and pay increases will continue to be assessed on merit, the memo states.
Kann also wrote that he would be working with certain ministries "to encourage comparable savings," the Globe and Mail reported.
The announcement came as the opposition has been pressing the government over a significant expansion of the Premier's Office in recent years, noting the number of staff members earning more than $100,000 has more than doubled since Ford took office in 2018.
Hotel expenses controversy
The immediate trigger for the political firestorm was the disclosure that Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho billed taxpayers more than $16,000 in Toronto hotel expenses since 2023 — despite representing the north Toronto riding of Willowdale, a short distance from Queen's Park. Cho has since pledged to repay the full amount.
But according to CBC News, publicly available expense records show Cho was far from alone. Hardeep Grewal, who represents Brampton East, claimed more than $27,000 in Toronto hotel expenses over the same period. Nina Tangri, the associate minister of small business representing Mississauga-Streetsville, billed nearly $19,000. Charmaine Williams, associate minister of women's social and economic opportunity and the MPP for Brampton Centre, expensed more than $15,000.
CBC News reported that all four billed their highest amounts in the most recent fiscal year, which ended in March.
The claims were made under a so-called "special circumstances" rule that permitted MPPs living within 50 kilometres of Queen's Park to expense hotel stays in extraordinary situations.
Government House Leader Steve Clark wrote Wednesday to the Speaker indicating he intends to eliminate that rule, CBC News reported. A spokesperson for Ford's office said any expense "that did not meet the intent of the rules will be reimbursed to the legislature in full," according to CBC News.
NDP: ‘Abuse of policy’
NDP Leader Marit Stiles rejected the framing that the rule itself was the core problem.
"The policy was for extenuating circumstances, right, emergencies like a snowstorm," Stiles told CBC News. "He can change the policy all he wants, but it's not going to change the fact that these members just simply saw that policy, they understood what it was for — all of us do as MPPs — and they chose to abuse it."
Stiles called on all members involved to repay the money and provide an accounting of the reasons behind each billing.
Liberal finance critic Stephanie Bowman told CBC News her party would support eliminating the rule, but also wants the claims independently reviewed. Bowman, a chartered accountant by background, said the policy was written too broadly and was "rife for abuse."
Opposition calls for accountability
In a statement issued Monday, Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser said the controversy reflects a broader culture within the Ford government.
"After eight years under Doug Ford, his government has normalized a culture where extravagant spending with public money is treated as business as usual," Fraser said, pointing also to the government's prior purchase of a $28.9 million private jet.
He called on the government to explain how the hotel claims were approved in the first place, how much will actually be repaid, and whether Cho would keep his cabinet post.
"The public purse is not the Progressive Conservatives' personal piggy bank," Fraser said. "Every single dollar spent belongs to Ontario taxpayers."
Ford leads in polls in Ontario
Despite the controversies, new polling suggests Ford retains a meaningful lead over his provincial rivals. According to an Abacus Data survey conducted for the Toronto Star, PC support stands at 41 per cent among committed voters — nine points ahead of the Liberals at 32 per cent, with the NDP at 19 per cent and the Greens at five per cent. PC support was up one point from a similar Abacus survey conducted on June 2, while Liberal support rose three points and NDP support dropped four.
The same poll found that 52 per cent of respondents believe it is "definitely time for a change in government in Ontario," and 56 per cent say the province is on the wrong track. Despite those sentiments, Ford remains the most preferred premier among provincial leaders, with 39 per cent of respondents naming him as their choice, compared to 18 per cent for NDP Leader Marit Stiles and 12 per cent for Liberal interim leader John Fraser.
David Coletto, head of Abacus, noted that while the premier's personal image "remains negative," the political damage from the private jet purchase appears to have "eased," and many Ontarians continue to view Ford as the best available option to lead the province.
The Ontario Liberals are set to choose a new permanent leader in November.
