Conservative gravy train: Brown blew $300K in two months

Former Conservative Leader Patrick Brown has to explain how he blew through nearly $300,000 in public money in just two months, said NDP MPP Taras Natyshak.

“Conservative party insiders get paid, and Ontario people pay for it,” said Natyshak. “Mr. Brown needs to come clean and explain where this money went.”

According to a document showing Brown’s expenses for his MPP operations, just between April 1 and the June 7 election, Brown’s spending totaled $292,451. The vast majority of that – $206,956 – was accounted for as “support staff.” Many MPP expenses must stop during the writ period of a provincial election – half of the timeframe in which that $300,000 was spent.

“There’s a culture at the top of the Conservative party that’s troubling,” said Natyshak. “A few months ago, now-Finance Minister Vic Fedeli said the party needed to ‘root out the rot.’ We’ve seen Ford appoint his friends and insiders to cushy gigs that come with gigantic public paycheques. And now we have serious questions about how Brown spent so much, so quickly.

“Ontarians are getting tired of watching Conservative insiders benefit while they pay more.”