TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Labour Minister David Piccini charged taxpayers more than $11,700 for commercial flights and hotel stays last summer to attend a private-sector union conference held at a Walt Disney resort in Orlando, Fla.Expense disclosure records show the four travellers — Ford, Piccini and two staffers — billed a combined $11,709.85 for the mid-July 2025 trip. Ford’s portion totalled $2,962.19, including $1,464.10 in airfare and $1,498.09 for accommodation between July 14 and 16. His executive assistant claimed another $2,962.19. Piccini expensed $2,662.18 while a Ministry of Labour staffer charged $3,123.29.Both politicians listed the purpose as a “ministry-related international mission.” Social media videos, however, place them at the LiUNA International Leadership Conference at the Walt Disney Beach Club Resort.LiUNA, the Labourers’ International Union of North America, is the largest private-sector union in Canada and represents more than 130,000 workers in Ontario. The union has repeatedly endorsed the Progressive Conservative Party and has received millions in provincial funding for training and other programs since Ford took office..The Premier’s Office defended the expenses in a statement, saying Ford “was invited, and travelled, to the LiUNA conference.”The disclosure lands amid a broader spending controversy. In recent weeks, several Toronto-area Progressive Conservative MPPs have been criticized for claiming thousands of dollars in hotel stays near Queen’s Park rather than commuting home. Ford has ordered those costs repaid and has repeatedly pointed to his own record as evidence of restraint, claiming at one point that he maintains a “zero expense account.”Public records show otherwise. Over eight years in office, Ford has filed dozens of claims for airfare, hotels and meals related to government business..Opposition critics quickly seized on the Florida trip. They argue it raises questions about the line between legitimate government outreach and taxpayer-funded appearances at events organized by political allies that receive significant public contracts.LiUNA has maintained a close working relationship with the Ford government on major infrastructure projects. The union’s locals have received steadily rising annual funding for training, education and rehabilitation initiatives.The Orlando expenses form part of a longer pattern of travel costs that have drawn scrutiny this year, including more than $140,000 in private charter flights in 2025 and the short-lived $28.9-million private jet purchase that was reversed after public backlash..Ford has defended his travel decisions as necessary for economic missions and cross-border work, particularly amid ongoing trade tensions with the United States. Critics counter that billing taxpayers for a union conference at a Disney property undermines claims of fiscal discipline at a time when the province faces persistent deficits and pressures on health care, education and emergency services.The full expense records remain publicly available through Ontario’s travel, meal and hospitality disclosure system.
