Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho is stepping down from cabinet, Premier Doug Ford announced on Friday.
The minister has been under fire for billing taxpayers more than $16,000 in Toronto hotel expenses since 2023.
“Earlier today, I accepted the resignation of Stan Cho from Cabinet, effective immediately. He has acknowledged and taken responsibility for his mistake. He will continue to serve the people of Willowdale as their Member of Provincial Parliament,” Ford said in a statement.
In a statement posted on X on Friday, Cho said he has repaid those expenses in full.
“Over the past three years, I claimed accommodation in the city on nights the legislature sat late. I have reviewed every one of those claims and am satisfied they met the criteria set out in the members’ guide,” Cho states.
“Looking back now, I made a mistake. I am taking full responsibility, as I do not want to be a distraction from our plan to grow the economy, keep families safe, and build this province.”
In a post on X, Ford said MPP Doug Downey will be taking over Cho’s cabinet responsibilities in the interim.
Publicly available expense records show that some of Ford’s cabinet ministers and other caucus members who live in and near Toronto had been using a so-called special circumstances rule on Toronto hotel expenses since about 2023.
Cho did not rack up the largest bills, but his riding is much closer to Queen’s Park than the other top spenders.
The government said Wednesday it intends to eliminate the rule that lets members who live within 50 kilometres of Queen’s Park expense those hotel stays in extenuating circumstances, such as snowstorms.
Ford said Thursday it is “unacceptable” that some Toronto-area cabinet ministers billed taxpayers thousands of dollars for hotel stays in Toronto, despite living in or near the city.
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