New documents are raising questions about spending at the agency tasked with supporting affordable housing in Ontario.
Documents show that, from 2012 to 2013, the Housing Services Corporation (HSC), used its funds to expense:
- $300 on flannel shirts purchased in Vancouver
- Thousands of dollars on food and alcohol
- Five trips to Europe – including a flight to England for $4,000
- A charge from a restaurant in Palm Beach, Florida
The HSC, which was created to bulk-buy natural gas for affordable housing in Ontario, claims it has since tightened up its spending rules.
The agency's new CEO says members are no longer allowed to use housing dollars to purchase things such as alcohol, and detailed receipts must be provided.
"HSC policies concerning expenses, contracts and its subsidiaries have been significantly reformed and updated over the past two years to ensure more transparency and efficiency," Howie Wong said in a statement to CTV Toronto.
But despite the changes, Ontario Progressive Conservative housing critic Ernie Hardeman wants the provincial auditor to go over HSC's books.
"They have been living high off the hog shall we say for a long time on public housing dollars," Hardeman told CTV Toronto on Wednesday. "You don’t need to be in England to make the best purchase on natural gas because the natural gas is not going to come from England."
The Ontario Liberals say they have already taken steps to improve financial accountability at the HSC.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
