Thornhill member of provincial parliament Peter Shurman has been dismissed from his position as finance critic after facing scrutiny over his housing allowance.

Shurman lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake and claimed $20,719 for a Toronto residence, according to reports. Shurman has reportedly said PC leader Tim Hudak approved this subsidy, which Hudak has denied.

Addressing the matter in a statement, Hudak said, “While the current rules were followed, it is clear taxpayers hold elected officials to a higher standard and those rules need to be changed.”

The liberal candidate for the area, City of Vaughan councillor Sandra Yeung Racco said Shurman should pay back the claimed funds.
“I know that there’s no rule that you have to live in the riding, but yet, instead of moving closer to the riding, he actually moved further away to Niagara-on-the-Lake,” she said.

Local residents have asked her why Shurman doesn’t live in the riding, Yeung Racco said, and believes elected representatives must be in their constituency as often as possible.

Thornhill resident and Markham Citizens Coalition for Responsive Government director Marilyn Ginsburg said she wasn’t sure what to believe about the issue.

“I don’t think that Mr. Hudak has done his party any good by doing what he did because it’s not at all clear that Mr. Shurman had done anything technically wrong,” she said.

However, Ginsburg said housing allowances probably wouldn’t be needed if politicians lived in the ridings they represent, which they should.

Shurman declined to speak with Post City about the matter.