What to know
- Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party allegedly spent about $3,000 on resort stays in Jamaica in December 2023 to “spy on” then-Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, according to reporting from The Trillium and POLICORNER.
- The PC Party acknowledged that its opposition research included travel to Jamaica in December 2023 but did not explicitly confirm that someone was sent to surveil Crombie.
- Doug Ford said he only learned about the spending after the report was published and said he “wouldn’t do it.”
- Ford also compared the situation to the media following him during trips to the U.S.
- The premier emphasized the $3,000 came from the PC Party, although political parties receive a per-vote subsidy, meaning their funding includes public money.
- NDP Leader Marit Stiles called the alleged surveillance “creepy Trump-style politics” and said Ford should not simply dismiss the issue.
- Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser also criticized Ford, calling it the “Creepy Jamaican Spy Scandal” and questioning who travelled to Jamaica and what they hoped to accomplish.
- Crombie has not yet publicly commented on the report.
- Ontario political parties receive public funding through quarterly per-vote allowances, complicating Ford’s assertion that the roughly $3,000 came solely from “party money.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is responding after a report revealed that his party allegedly spent $3,000 to “spy on” Bonnie Crombie during a vacation break in 2023, prompting harsh criticism from opposition leaders.
On Thursday, a report by The Trillium and POLICORNER revealed that the Progressive Conservative Party allegedly spent approximately $3,000 on resort stays in Jamaica back in 2023. Anonymous sources confirmed to the media that the expense was part of opposition research work to “spy on” former Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie.
The plan allegedly took place in December 2023 while Crombie went on a three-day vacation to Jamaica six days after winning the Liberal leadership.
While it didn’t confirm the surveillance, the PC Party later told media that it “conducts opposition research. In this instance, that work included travel to Jamaica in December 2023.”
‘It’s politics’: Ford responds
During a press conference on Thursday, Ford said he didn’t know about the alleged surveillance until The Trillium report was revealed and suggested he did not approve of the move.
“I don’t watch every single dollar when I am in the middle of a campaign—the largest in the country. I rely on our team to make sure that they spend it appropriately,” he said. “I found out yesterday.”
The premier also emphasized that the $3,000 spent came from the party’s money. However, as pointed out by reporters, Ontario political parties receive a per-vote subsidy, which makes part of their budget taxpayer money.
When asked about his opinion on the alleged surveillance of opposition members, Ford said he “wouldn’t do it,” but suggested that the move was similar to reporters following him to the U.S.
“I have talked to the party. I wouldn’t do it, but again, things happen. It’s no different than myself when the media is following me down to Florida. They followed me to Chicago, New Jersey, and so on and so forth at a [much] higher cost, but…it’s politics,” he said.
‘Creepy Trump-style politics’: Opposition leaders slam PC Party
NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized Ford over the allegations, calling the move was “creepy Trump-style politics.”
“This is disgusting, and Doug Ford does not get to shrug it off. Spying on a woman who is one of your political opponents on her private vacation is creepy Trump-style politics that has no place here,” she wrote on X.
“Somebody signed off on that expense, and he knows exactly who. Heads need to roll.”
This is disgusting, and Doug Ford does not get to shrug it off.
— Marit Stiles (@MaritStiles) August 13, 2026
Spying on a woman who is one of your political opponents on her private vacation is creepy Trump-style politics that has no place here.
Women already face enough barriers in politics without this kind of… https://t.co/3EFiMnBL48
Following Ford’s comments, Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser also took a dab at the premier for what he called “Creepy Jamaican Spy Scandal.”
“It just raises a ton of questions. But the questions that come to mind for me first are: who went? Who is the secret spy guy that went down to Jamaica to follow Bonnie Crombie? And number two: what did they expect to get out of that? Those are questions that need to be answered,” Fraser said in a video shared on X.
“It’s not just ‘stuff happens,’ premier. It’s creepy ‘stuff happens.’”
Crombie has yet not commented on the report.
Crombie previously served as Mississauga’s mayor from 2014 to 2024, and resigned the role to pursue provincial politics, having been elected leader of the provincial Liberal Party in 2023.
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In January of 2026, she resigned the party leadership, and later registered as a candidate for Mississauga Mayor in July, sparking some mixed reactions among locals.
