TORONTO — MPP Stan Cho told reporters he charged hotel rooms while living in midtown Toronto because it was convenient for his family, then accepted a parliamentary assistant role that comes with a pay bump three months after he resigned from cabinet and repaid the money.“I made a mistake,” Cho said in a scrum after Question Period. “I made a decision that was for my family… Young baby at home. I was just having a hip replacement this year as well. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that I made a very low judgment.”He said he did not think about people in his riding who work two jobs and that he later paid the roughly $16,000 back out of pocket. “I took responsibility for that decision and decided to pay the money back,” he said. He described the charges as an “error in judgment” and noted that the expenses were allowed under the rules at the time..Opposition members rejected the explanation. John Fraser said, “Only in the Ford government can you misuse taxpayer dollars and then get a raise a couple of months later.” He questioned why Cho needed hotel rooms “six subway stops away” instead of using his own money. He also called the family-convenience account “a bunch of lame excuses” and said the premier should have asked Cho to turn the new role down.Premier Doug Ford defended the appointment. “I don’t call it a promotion,” Ford said. “He lost his job. 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.”Cho said he is “honoured” to take the additional duties and that he has worked hard for eight years. He declined to say whether the premier expressed any concerns when offering the role.The exchange came on the first day the legislature sat after a long summer break. Opposition members used the scrum to argue that the Cho case shows a broader lack of accountability inside the government..Ontario Tourism Minister Stan Cho billed taxpayers $16K for Toronto hotels despite short commute; agrees to full repayment
