TORONTO — Progressive Conservative riding associations linked to five of Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet ministers spent $356,312 over two years on high-end food, drink and entertainment, according to Elections Ontario filings.The total for the associations of Michael Tibollo, Stephen Lecce, Stan Cho, David Piccini and Michael Kerzner exceeded the combined spending of all other Progressive Conservative cabinet ministers’ riding associations on similar items.Expenses included nearly $15,000 for organic grass-fed premium beef, $3,400 on oysters and Japanese tapas, $1,500 for axe-throwing sessions that included chicken tenders, and $485 at a Toronto venue advertising the largest selection of tequila in Canada.Tibollo’s Vaughan-Woodbridge association alone reported $47,200 on meetings in each of 2024 and 2025..The money came from political donations that qualify for provincial tax credits. As a result, a portion of the spending is effectively subsidized by Ontario taxpayers.Riding associations are allowed under provincial rules to host events and claim related costs. The filings do not allege any breach of election finance laws. The scale of the luxury expenditures, however, raises questions about priorities at a time when the Ford government has stressed fiscal restraint and the cost-of-living pressures facing ordinary families.The spending stands in contrast to the long-standing Ford family critique of political perks. In a 2010 video, then-Councillor Rob Ford displayed free zoo, TTC, parking and golf passes given to Toronto councillors and called them a waste of taxpayer money that should be eliminated.The revelations follow earlier reports of elevated restaurant and hotel spending by some of the same associations. They also land amid ongoing scrutiny of Progressive Conservative expense practices, including the repayment of hotel bills by several GTA MPPs earlier this year.No immediate response from the premier’s office or the PC party was available at the time of publication.
