Former Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown spent $292,451 â almost an entire yearâs office budget â in his final months at Queenâs Park.According to documents from the Ontario Legislative Assemblyâs finance department, obtained by the Star, Brown submitted office and support staff expenses â including ongoing employee severance payments â totalling that amount from the start of the fiscal year in April. Brown did not run in the June 7 election, and he said his expenses in his final month before the writ was drawn in early May include severance payments to long-time staff, as well as a mass âthank youâ mailout to constituents and two goodbye receptions.His expenditures are part of an incomplete list obtained by the Star that includes other non-returning MPPs. âI think itâs appropriate for people that have spent years working for you, that they are entitled to severances as outlined by the legislature,â Brown told the Star in a telephone interview, noting the severance payments continue into the next fiscal year.He said one employee, who has been with him since he was a federal MP, is now a senior citizen and âentitled to the maximum severance, which is just shy of a year.âRead more:An ex-homeless man could be Oshawaâs next mayor. Hereâs a look at three fascinating GTA election racesOpinion | Martin Regg Cohn: What Ontario can learn from Quebecâs âchangeâ electionBrown had not seen the document obtained by the Star â paperwork typically sent to MPPs first.During his final weeks in office, Brown sat as an independent after being forced to resign as head of the Progressive Conservatives over allegations of sexual improprieties involving young women. Brown has denied the allegations and is suing CTV for broadcasting the story.Brown is now running to be mayor of Brampton in Mondayâs municipal election.The financial documents which det ...
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