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Wednesday, October 3, 2012 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Orono Weekly Times - 13 The new shade shelter at the Orono Crown Lands was officially unveiled midday Tuesday bringing together the many partners who participated in the project. Pictured from left to right; back row- Jennifer Knox, Ontario Power Generation; Martin Perrault, Principal of Courtice Secondary School; Steve Sarginson, Bobcat of Durham; Brian Duncan, VP of Ontario Power Generation; Jim Richards, Chair of OronoCrown Lands Trust (OCLT) Bruno Dobri, Dobri Engineering; Wilson Little, St. Mary's Cement; Christina Hodgins, St. Mary's Cement; Beverly Forget, Ontario Power Generation. Front row: Bruce Balsdon; teacher at Courtice Secondary School and students Jon Hart, Blake Cooper, Ian Lusted; and John Standeven; OCLT. Staying in Touch MPP John O'Toole Costs Climb in McGuinty Government's Multi-Million Dollar Power Plant Fiasco The latest tally from documents reluctantly released by the McGuinty government last week show the true cost of cancelling natural gas generating stations in Oakville and Mississauga is at least $640 million, as determined at this time. The McGuinty government had already admitted to a loss of $195 million associated with the Mississauga plant. Most recently, they claimed re-locating the Oakville plant to a site near Napanee would cost another $40 million. Upon closer inspection, the real cost of relocating the Oakville plant will be much higher. In addition to the $40 million, there would be a payment of $210 million to purchase gas turbines. There is also at least $200 million required for new transmission lines. That brings the bill for the Oakville cancellation alone to at least $450 million. To imply that losses associated with cancelling this gas plant were $40 million is unbelievable, when its original cost is over $1 billion. To comply with a ruling by the Speaker, Ontario's Minister of Energy released more than 36,000 pages of documents on the power plant cancellations. The Official Opposition immediately pointed out there were many pages missing and that portions of some documents had been redacted or whited out. There are no documents from the Minister specifically, and no documents after Dec. 2011. As a result, our PC Opposition Caucus has called for the power plant controversy to be referred to the Standing Committee on Finance for further investigation. In my view, the Standing Committee on Finance is the best forum to get the answers Ontario's taxpayers deserve. This committee can find out what's in the missing pages, what the government is still trying to hide and how much the cancellation of the two generating stations will really cost taxpayers and electricity ratepayers. There would be an opportunity to call expert witnesses, rather than politicians. The Ontario Legislature spent most of last week debating the referral of matters to the committee. I am hopeful that the debate will conclude soon, and that MPPs will do the right thing and agree to full disclosure through the committee. There are far too many unanswered questions. Environmental Commissioner to Release Report Ontario's Environmental Commissioner, Gord Miller, will table the second half of his annual report October 2. This follows the release last month of Part 1, which the Commissioner entitled "Losing Touch." The Commissioner said a number of ministries are ignoring the requirements of Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights and proceeding with farreaching environmental policies without properly notifying and consulting the public. For example, he said the Ministry of Energy didn't post a full proposal notice on the Environmental Registry when it announced its review of the Feed-in Tariff program for renewable energy. Copies of the report are available at www.eco.on.ca . Legislature Seeking Applicants for Page Program The Ontario Legislative Page Program is recruiting students in grades seven and eight who are qualified to serve as assistants in the Ontario Legislature and receive a first-hand education in how parliament works. Eligible students are encouraged to apply online from September 15 to November 15th at the Ontario Legislature web site, www.ontla.on.ca. Pages are selected from across Ontario. In addition to serving as messengers in the House and generally assisting in the Legislative Chamber, they learn about the legislative process, meet key parliamentary figures, and explore the history of Ontario's Parliament. Pages also have the opportunity to meet with peers from across the province. Pages must have an academic average of 80% or higher (level 4). The application process includes writing a 750-word essay, completing an application form and submitting a consent form signed by a parent or guardian, homeroom teacher and principal. To ensure fairness, all applications are screened anonymously. I would highly recommend this program to students with a strong background in extra curricular activities, and an interest in government. After September 15 ­ November 15, the next opportunity for applications is April 15 ­ June 15.