Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho has resigned after a week of controversy over his hotel spending in Toronto, despite living six kilometers from Queens Park.
Global News was the first to report that Cho, whose home is seven subway stops from the legislative building, has billed taxpayers more than $16,000 for hotel stays downtown over the past three years.
After the story broke, Cho said he would return the money, but after a week of backlash, Premier Doug Ford said the Willowdale MP had offered to resign.
“Earlier today, I accepted Stan Cho’s resignation from the Cabinet, effective immediately,” the Prime Minister’s Office wrote Friday morning.
“He has acknowledged and accepted responsibility for his mistake. He will continue to serve the people of Willowdale as a Member of Provincial Parliament.”
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In his statement, Cho said he refunded the hotel stay and agreed that it was a mistake.
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“I take full responsibility as I do not want to distract us from our plan to grow the economy,” the Willowdale MPP wrote.
“I have a young family at home and a schedule that takes me away from them too often. Late at night, I made choices that were easier for me. I didn’t stop to ask what it would look like for the person sitting in my ride and working double shifts.”
Between 2018, when Cho first won the race at Willowdale in the Toronto area, and 2022, the minister did not claim the benefit or list any expenses for overnight hotel stays in the city.
This trend began to change in 2023 and then accelerated sharply over the past year:
- 2023-2024: $1,431 for accommodation in Toronto.
- 2024–2025: $3,081 for living expenses in Toronto.
- 2025–26: $11,691 for living expenses in Toronto.
Under Ontario’s spending rules, MPs living more than 50 kilometers from Queen’s Park are allowed to bill taxpayers for living in or around Toronto, allowing them to be closer to the legislature where most of the politician’s work is done.
However, MPs living within that 50-kilometre limit are entitled to claim accommodation expenses only in “special or unusual circumstances” under the legislature’s expenses guidelines and only “overnight”.
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Critics, however, question why Cho needed to stay at the hotel in the first place.
Although his commute is about 30 minutes from the Ontario legislature, public property records show Cho’s primary residence is exactly 5.9 kilometers — or seven subway stops — from Queen’s Park.
As a cabinet minister, Cho also has access to a government-appointed vehicle, which is usually driven by an employee.
In his statement, Cho confirmed that his expenses complied with the rules, adding that it was still an error.
“For the past three years, I have demanded city residency on nights when the Legislature stayed late,” he wrote. “I have considered each of these allegations and am satisfied that they meet the criteria set out in the members’ guide.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.