Angry in the Great White North

Attorney General Michael Bryant seems a bit confused. He seems to think that the role of Ontario's top lawyer is to keep the hotel business in the black.

In a news release Thursday, Sault Ste. Marie PC Candidate Josh Pringle says $700,000 that Dalton McGuinty’s Attorney General spent on hotel rooms at the Blue Mountain Resort and the Deerhurst resort is just a fraction of the total amount that was spent by Michael Bryant on hotels last year.

The release shows hundreds of thousands of dollars spent at resorts by Bryant.

Government records show that Dalton McGuinty’s Attorney General spent a grand total of $2,552,036 on hotels in 2006/2007 according to Pringle.

These include:

$449,164 at the Blue Mountain Resort
$319,699 at the Marriott Hotel
$246,554 at the Deerhurst Resort
$178,318 at the Metropolitan Hotel
$148,109 at the Holiday Inn
$137,063 at the Intrawest Lodging Westin Trillium House (aka Blue Mountain)
$124,904 at the Sheraton
$112,700 at the Prince of Wales Hotel
$101,688 at Taboo
$101,289 at Novotel
$93,886 at the Delta Chelsea
$91,260 at the Ramada
$85,986 at Clevelands House in Muskoka
$73,844 at the Cambridge Suites Hotel
$62,179 at the Delawana Inn
$57,186 at the Best Western
$55,312 at Travelodge
$52,870 at the Lord Elgin Hotel

Pringle continues, "Meanwhile victims’ services are underfunded. Accused criminals are being given $2000 cheques because the courts are underfunded, and municipalities are struggling under the weight of court security costs."

But according to Michael Bryant, criticizing his spending is "boneheaded".

What's wrong with these people? Haven't they heard of a phone? Teleconferencing? Email?

Do these numbers include food? Booze too? The minibar?! Those things are so expensive. I hope Michael Bryant had enough respect for the taxpayers of Ontario to go and buy a bag of chips, and to tell his guests not to raid the minibar for overpriced munchies, before settling in for a pay-per-view movie.

Hey, do these bills include in-room pay-per-view too?