Tories call for Lottery Corp repayments

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY

************************* Hudak calls on Liberals to order reimbursement of expenses

QUEEN's PARK, ON - Leader of the Opposition Tim Hudak has demanded that Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals order the reimbursement of fraudulent, excessive and unreasonable expenses billed by executives of Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG).

Documents requested by the Ontario PC Caucus over eight months ago were finally delivered yesterday.

Over 4,000 pages of expenses revealed a shocking abuse of expenses and privileges at the OLG.

Approved expenses included everything from junkets, limos, clothing, luggage and even gym and Weight Watchers memberships.

“Not only were Ontario taxpayers billed for all-expenses paid junkets to sunny destinations like California and Florida for OLG executives, we were even picking up the tab for them to work off their lavish meals and steak dinners at the gym and Weight Watchers when they returned,” said Hudak.

The OLG scandal is just the latest in a shocking pattern of abusive activities at government agencies.

While the government claimed that the eHealth scandal was the exception to the rule, it is now clear that this kind of waste and mismanagement is the rule in Dalton McGuinty’s government.

“This is no surprise from a Premier that didn’t blink at spending over $6 million to hire a team of high-priced consultants to rename the OLGC the OLG”, said Hudak. “He has set the tone for his government’s culture of waste. And today, he will once again to promise to fix this most recent mess with more process, more consultants, more expense but no answers or apologies for Ontarians.”

In addition to reimbursing taxpayers for the inappropriate expenses, Hudak has called for McGuinty to fire his ministers at the helm of these agencies to show that there needs to be accountability and responsibility for the agencies that they oversee.

“The shuffling of CEO’s in the wake of each Liberal scandal will not fix the lack of leadership in the Ontario Government”, said Hudak. “The government needs to be accountable and that starts with Dalton McGuinty and his ministers.”

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