Months after resigning from Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet over a hotel expenses scandal, Progressive Conservative MPP Stan Cho returned to Queen’s Park with a new title, a higher salary and scorn from opposition parties.
Cho stepped down as the tourism minister in July after Global News revealed he charged taxpayers $16,000 to stay in downtown Toronto hotel rooms, despite living just six kilometers away from Queen’s Park.
The revelation ignited a summer spending scandal after public records revealed a number of other Progressive Conservative MPPs also billed taxpayers more than $120,000 for hotel rooms despite living within driving distance of the Ontario Legislature.
While MPPs were forced to repay the expenses, Cho was the only member who lost his position within the Ford government and profusely apologized for the “error in judgment.”
“I make a mistake,” Cho told reporters at Queen’s Park. “I made a decision that was convenient for my family, I wasn’t thinking about the people in my riding, working two jobs trying to make ends meet.”
“I took responsibility for that mistake, I paid the money back, I resigned from cabinet.”
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That consequence, however, was thrown into doubt after Premier Doug Ford announced Cho would receive a new position just fourteen weeks after he stepped down from the position.
Cho has been appointed as the new parliamentary assistant to Education Minister Paul Calandra – a position that comes with a $22,000 salary increase, on top of his base MPP salary of $157,350.
The appointment was immediately met with pushback from members of the opposition who questioned why Cho was deserving of a promotion “after he ripped off the people of this province.”
“I do not understand how the premier decided it was a good idea to promote a minister, an MPP who has abused the taxpayer dollars, but that’s what we keep seeing from this government,” said NDP Leader Marit Stiles.
Ford, who in part contradicted Cho’s story on his resignation, also rebuffed suggestions that he was given a promotion.
“I don’t call it a promotion,” Ford told reporters.
“I fired him from being a minister, he admitted he made a mistake, he’s paid it back and now he’s going to be a parliamentary assistant.”
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Ford is “failing to hold Cho accountable” by giving him another position within the government.
“What does it say to the people of Ontario that we have the most bloated cabinet in Ontario history, the most bloated Premier’s Office in Ontario history, meanwhile everyday people are struggling to be able to pay the rent,” Schreiner said.
Cho also offered new light on the circumstances that led to the expenses.
According to internal government emails obtained by Global News, Progressive Conservative MPPs were given the green light by the Ford government to charge taxpayers for the hotel perk because the shortened legislative sessions meant more late night sittings at Queen’s Park.
“Those night sittings, they’re tough on schedules especially when you have family circumstances at home,” Cho said.
Many of those night sittings, however, were eventually cancelled and Cho suggested it was too late to reverse the hotel room charges.
“You try and cancel the hotel room with less than 24 hours notice, cause those night sittings were cancelled the morning of … so unfortunately you can’t cancel those,” Cho added.
Come on Conservatives dump the stump. This man has no plan and is a Liberal. Deficit up, not reducing red tape, fixing schools (lapping the unions milk) teachers were to upgrade their math skills but Doug reduced training for new teachers. We need more time in classrooms and less social development. In France children are in school 8 to 6 there sold daycare problem.
ANOTHER FINE PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY
Pretty disgusting payback by Ford.
“expensing $16,000 in Toronto hotel stays”
Liberal MP’s spend this on lunch.
Getting that kamikaze look from this guy.