Progressive Conservative MPPs say they have repaid thousands in hotel room expenses

Two Progressive Conservative Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) from Brampton, Hardeep Grewal and Charmaine Williams, have repaid tens of thousands of dollars in hotel room expenses, according to the Progressive Conservative Party. Grewal, who spent the most on hotel rooms over the past three years, repaid $27,275, while Williams repaid $15,865.

Both MPPs made the repayments after Premier Doug Ford ordered them to do so in response to a spending scandal that saw one cabinet minister resign. The hotel spending scandal, which occurred earlier in the summer, involved government members booking hotel rooms in downtown Toronto instead of driving home. While some MPPs billed a few hundred to a few thousand for rooms, Grewal and Williams were part of a group that spent significantly more.

The scandal sparked anger among caucus members, who felt deprived of a legitimate benefit that was being abused by a few MPPs. The government quickly moved to eliminate the expense, leaving some members feeling impacted by the change. Premier Ford has offered varying responses to the scandal, labeling some expenses as "unacceptable" and promising to have them repaid.

However, the government has not yet provided proof of the repayments by Grewal, Williams, or former cabinet minister Stan Cho, who also resigned over the scandal.