 | Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk confirms the cancellation of the Oakville gas plant will cost Ontarians in the order of $815 million. The report was released today. Both cancellations were political decisions in an attempt to save vulnerable Liberal seats in the Greater Toronto Area. This Liberal seat-saver program cost Ontario taxpayers $1.1 billion overall and was nothing but a campaign expense on the backs of all Ontarians. | |
Cornwall - October 8, 2013 - Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk confirms the cancellation of the Oakville gas plant will cost Ontarians in the order of $815 million. The report was released today.
“This latest energy scandal only adds to the $275 million cost of the cancelled Mississauga power plant,” said Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell. “Both cancellations were political decisions in an attempt to save vulnerable Liberal seats in the Greater Toronto Area. This Liberal seat-saver program cost Ontario taxpayers $1.1 billion overall and was nothing but a campaign expense on the backs of all Ontarians.”
The report furthermore highlights how the Government, in the rush to cancel the plant, waived the protection against damages originally written into the contract. If the company could not overcome the regulatory hurdles placed by unwilling municipalities and the start date had suffered a delay greater than 24 months, the contract would have lapsed with no penalty. The City of Oakville had committed to a Supreme Court appeal that would have certainly delayed the project beyond the two year deadline. “This only confirms the government’s total disregard for the taxpayer” - commented MPP Jim McDonell.
In May 2012, the Ontario PC Caucus pushed for the disclosure of all documents related to the two cancelled gas plants in order to investigate the matter in a Legislative Committee. Premier Wynne finally ordered the Auditor General investigation last March to avoid a second contempt motion being brought forward.
“In less than 18 months, the Government has been found in contempt of the Legislature, under OPP investigations for illegal activities at ORNGE Air Ambulance and for the deletion of Government records,” - continued MPP McDonell. “Knowing what would transpire, the Liberals blocked us every step of the way. They even prorogued the legislature for months while their former leader resigned to avoid providing the truth to Ontarians. I commend the work of the Auditor-General. The people of Ontario deserve to know how much of their hard-earned money this Liberal Government is willing to waste for their own political gain, signing away contract protections in the process. When is enough, enough? We need an Energy policy that is part of an overall economic plan that is designed to make us competitive again in this fast-changing world. It is time for Tim Hudak and our PC Caucus to lead Ontario Again!”
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