{"id":18101,"date":"2025-02-25T13:07:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T13:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/25\/ontario-election-ford-and-crombie-campaigns-accuse-one-another-of-being-expensive\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T13:07:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T13:07:52","slug":"ontario-election-ford-and-crombie-campaigns-accuse-one-another-of-being-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/25\/ontario-election-ford-and-crombie-campaigns-accuse-one-another-of-being-expensive\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario election: Ford and Crombie campaigns accuse one another of being \u2018expensive\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Who would be the most expensive choice for premier?<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s the question the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals are trying to answer for each other as the Ontario election campaign<\/a> enters its final stretch.<\/p>\n

For close to a year, the PCs have tried to frame Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, who they see as their leader Doug Ford\u2019s main rival, as an expensive choice to be premier with a history of being irresponsible with public money.<\/p>\n

Soon after Crombie became leader, the party began buying ad spots trying to link Crombie to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and define her as expensive and out-of-touch.<\/p>\n

It also used her mayoral record to claim she would be a costly premier.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe even increased taxes as mayor. In this economy?\u201d the voiceover in one commercial said. \u201cTax, tax, tax. Sounds expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In recent days, the PC war room has highlighted some of Crombie\u2019s apparently more frivolous expense claims from her time as Mississauga mayor, saying \u00a0\u201cOntario can\u2019t afford\u201d the Liberal leader.<\/p>\n

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The Progressive Conservatives dug out $6,700 in spending on flowers in Crombie\u2019s duties as mayor, as well as $2,357.78 in iPad roaming charges in January 2024. It is not clear how many of those roaming charges were racked up by Crombie, who stepped down as mayor midway through the month.<\/p>\n

The PC campaign also accused Crombie of \u201cfrivolous use of public funds,\u201d pointing to a $40.20 expense filed in May 2020 with the description \u201cAmazon Prime.\u201d<\/p>\n

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