TORONTO — Brampton East Progressive Conservative MPP Hardeep Grewal is facing a formal complaint to Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner over allegations he used taxpayer-funded constituency resources to advertise in a newspaper owned by his father.The Ontario NDP filed the complaint Monday, claiming Grewal directed public money toward promotions in the Punjabi Post, a Brampton-based Punjabi-language daily solely owned by his father, Jagdish Singh Grewal. The move, according to the opposition, potentially violates the Members’ Integrity Act by advancing the private interests of an immediate family member.NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the ads — which promoted non-partisan constituency events such as community barbecues and Canada Day celebrations — were placed in the Punjabi Post using Grewal’s publicly funded constituency budget.“The Punjabi Post is a popular ethnic news outlet in Brampton — a community with a large Punjabi-speaking population,” Grewal stated in response. “Political parties of all stripes have advertised with the Punjabi Post. Prior to advertising, I should have consulted with the Integrity Commissioner and have since reached out to her office for advice.”.The advertising allegations come days after reports that Grewal billed taxpayers more than $27,000 for stays in downtown Toronto hotels over the past three years. His riding office is approximately 43 kilometres from Queen’s Park, and he resides in Brampton.The revelations are part of wider scrutiny of MPP hotel expenses under the Ford government, which has prompted Premier Doug Ford to describe such spending as “unacceptable” and call for tighter rules.The complaint adds to ongoing questions about accountability and expense practices among some Progressive Conservative MPPs. Earlier this week, another PC member, Stan Cho, resigned amid similar hotel expense scrutiny.Grewal continues to represent Brampton East, a riding with a large South Asian population where community outreach through local ethnic media is common across parties.The Integrity Commissioner has not yet indicated a timeline for reviewing the complaint..Ontario Tourism Minister Stan Cho billed taxpayers $16K for Toronto hotels despite short commute; agrees to full repayment
