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At a recent all candidates debate, the power plant sim- mered under concerns about long-term, health-care spaces, job prospects for young adults, and red-tape reduction for small businesses. Flynn, to much applause, called the plants can- cellation one of the proudest moments in my life, politically. But PC candidate Larry Scott told the crowd that Flynn refused to stand up for Oakville at the start of the power-plant saga. He then tried to take all the credit when it was revoked, Scott told the crowd. Flynn was in the Ministry of Environment when the plant was proposed and had to move out of the ministry before taking action. He maintains he was against the project as soon as he techni- cally could be and that Scott, the chief of staff for the federal MP at the time, wasnt very helpful in getting decent federal informa- tion to oppose the site. Flynns main challenger is Scott, who was chief of staff for Conservative MP Terence Young, and before that, global head of precious and base metals for Bank of Nova Scotia. Both parties are fighting hard for this riding. Early in September, Dalton McGuinty dropped in for a pan- cake breakfast with Flynn, and last Thursday, Tim Hudak sam- pled prosciutto with Scott. Last week, the two leaders were back again. Lesley Sprague, an NDP can- didate who is campaigning on housing, seniors, and health care, hasnt focused on the plant, but has concerns. The Liberals have not owned up to how much it is going to cost, she said. At the time of the plants can- cellation, an insider told the Star there was a legal opinion that TransCanada could sue the prov- ince for $1 billion. Neither TransCanada nor Ontario Power Generation could provide an estimate to the Star, citing ongoing negotiations. Oakville usually goes red or blue. Since 2003, it has been red, with longtime Oakville town councillor Flynn at the helm. On Oct. 6, Oakville voters will either reward Flynn for his stand against the plant, or turf him as a mes- sage to his party. Flynn says the Liberal Party typically does well in the moder- ate middle-income neighbour- hoods, while the PC party polls higher in the more affluent parts of town. Since the power plant affected families from both neighbourhoods, Flynn thinks hell see an increase in Liberal votes. Oakville mayor Rob Burton is endorsing the Liberals. Scott couldnt feel better about his chances and says hell continue to work non-stop in the lead up to the voting day. I try not to beat up Kevin for the power plant in particular, its an easy target, he says. Id like to talk about where we can go in the future. uality At Its Best! Q EXPOSED AGGREGATE (Pebble) SINCE 1974 DRIVEWAYS FRENCH CURBS PATIOS STEPS WALKWAYS GARAGE FLOORS Call Fernando FREE ESTIMATES 905-844-5518 1-888-944-5518 w w w . c o n c r e t e t r i m m i n g s . c o m ...extraordinary deeds. Thursday, October 27th, 2011 Oakville Conference Centre Reception 5:30 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. Tickets $125 each/Table of 8 for $800 Contact: 905.335.3665 ext. 3388 thorpt@hdsb.ca Halton Learning Foundation celebrates... www.haltonlearningfoundation.ca Presenting Sponsor w w w .i n si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B EA V ER W ed ne sd ay , S ep te m be r 28 , 2 01 1 1 0 Ghost of Oakville power plant an election spectre By Katie Daubs TORONTO STAR Riding: Oakville Location: Part of the town of Oakville, bordered by Lake Ontario, Burloak Drive, Upper Middle Rd. W., Eighth Line, Dundas Street East and Winston Churchill Boulevard. dConten ers: Kevin Flynn (Liberal incum- bent) Larry Scott (Progressive Conservative) Lesley Sprague (NDP) Mike Harris (Independent) Andrew Chlobowski (Green Party) Steve Hunter (Freedom Party) Jonathan Banzuela (Family Coalition Party of Ontario) Flynn went against his party to oppose the unpopular $1.2 billion natural gas-fired power plant. When it was killed by Premier Dalton McGuinty in 2010, critics alleged it was a political move to save Flynns seat. If thats true, will it pay off? Oakville cant forget the power plant. Planned on a stretch of land near homes and schools, it was so wildly unpopular it spurred the creation of a savvy citizens group who paid Erin Brockovich to join the cause. Incumbent MPP Kevin Flynn, who has represented Oakville since 2003, supported the effort to axe the plant, even though his government said it was a necessary part of Ontarios effort to phase out coal power. Suddenly, in October 2010, his Liberal bosses had a change of heart and cancelled the TransCanada plant, citing a changing energy outlook. Opposition MPPs couldnt resist pointing out the timing: the provincial election only a year away. Kevin Flynn