Mississauga minister among Peel MPPs billing nearly $50,000 for Toronto hotels

Mississauga MPP and Associate Minister of Small Business Nina Tangri claimed $13,568.12 in taxpayer-funded Toronto hotel stays, part of nearly $50,000 billed by three Peel Region Progressive Conservative MPPs, Global News reported.

The premier’s office said expenses that did not meet the intent of the legislature’s rules would be repaid in full. The report did not specify how much each MPP would reimburse.

Tangri, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity Charmaine Williams and Hardeep Grewal, parliamentary assistant to the minister of transportation, submitted 30 accommodation claims over the past two years, according to the report.

Grewal’s hotel expenses totalled $19,827.73, the highest amount among the three. Williams claimed $16,151.70, while Tangri’s claims brought their combined spending to nearly $50,000.

Ontario’s expense rules allow MPPs who live within 50 kilometres of Queen’s Park to claim accommodation costs in special circumstances. A major snowstorm disrupting roads and transit is one example of when those expenses may be permitted.

According to Global News, all three MPPs submitted receipts identifying a special circumstance requiring an overnight stay in downtown Toronto. The expenses were ultimately approved.

The report placed Tangri’s Mississauga constituency office 36 kilometres from the legislature. Williams’ Brampton office is 45 kilometres away by a route using the Gardiner Expressway and Highway 427, while Grewal’s office is 43 kilometres away.

Those measurements describe the locations of their constituency offices, rather than their homes. Global News reported that the three MPPs live in Peel Region, within driving distance of Queen’s Park.

Questions over use of accommodation rules

Global News’ review of expense reports found that most of the hotel claims occurred during spring and fall. The outlet raised questions about whether accommodation intended for exceptional circumstances was being used routinely while the legislature was sitting.

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser criticized the frequency of the claims, arguing that an exception was being treated as standard practice. NDP Leader Marit Stiles also questioned why the ministers were charging taxpayers for hotel rooms instead of returning home.

The premier’s office defended the spending and said the legislature is responsible for approving MPP expenses under its members’ expense guide. It also committed to full reimbursement of claims that fell outside the rules’ intent.

The report follows scrutiny of Tourism Minister Stan Cho’s Toronto hotel expenses, which exceeded $16,000 between 2023 and 2026. Cho initially said he would repay a portion, then announced he would reimburse the full amount after criticism.

Global News also reported that GTA-area Liberal and NDP MPPs had not filed comparable special-circumstance hotel claims, and that other cabinet ministers had avoided such expenses.