The Liberal government was privately bracing for a $900 million tab to scrap power plants in Oakville and Mississauga while publicly maintaining the cost was $230 million, Progressive Conservatives charged Thursday.

The $900 million was in Treasury Board documents while negotiations were taking place with the builders of the two plants on moving them to new locations, Conservative MPP Vic Fedeli told MPPs.

With Finance Minister Charles Sousa appearing before a legislative committee investigating the plant cancellations that took place before the 2011 election, Fedeli asked him to explain the discrepancy.

“They took the precaution of assessing potential risks,” Sousa replied in a series of heated exchanges with the North Bay MPP.

Sousa, who didn’t become finance minister until February under Premier Kathleen Wynne, later testified the $900 million figure was a “worst-case scenario.”

Fedeli said the $900 million backs testimony from bureaucrats that top Liberals were aware closure costs would be higher.

“Clearly, they all knew.”

Ontario’s auditor general recently pegged the Mississauga closure cost at $275 million and the Ontario Power Authority estimated Oakville would cost $310 million — for a total of $585 million.

The NDP said the contract to build the Oakville plant, axed in October 2010, could have lapsed at no cost to taxpayers by the end of 2011 because the builder, TransCanada Energy, could not get permits from the municipality to go ahead.

Citing confidential cabinet documents outlining the possibility of the contract ending “without penalty,” New Democrat MPP Peter Tabuns said the Liberals didn’t want to risk losing the Oakville seat in the 2011 election.

“They didn’t want to do that. They didn’t want to have an election going on while they were fighting the Oakville plant. That’s why we got stuck with the cost . . . they were protecting their political interest.”

But with TransCanada fighting “tooth and nail” in the courts to get the permits, “to not sit down and negotiate with them was taking a gigantic risk,” Government House leader John Milloy told the Star.

Cancelling the plant would have been more expensive if construction had begun, he added.

The Conservatives called Sousa, who personally opposed the two plants — both near his Mississauga South riding — to testify before the committee.

In his opening statement, Sousa, who was citizenship and immigration minister before his promotion to finance, said he fought against the Mississauga plant before being elected as an MPP in 2007 and held that position in opposition to his own government.

Because of his opposition to the Mississauga plant, Sousa said he recused himself from any cabinet or Treasury Board discussions on the matter.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

It was Sousa who made the announcement on Sept. 24, 2011 that the Liberals would scrap the Mississauga plant if re-elected less than two weeks later on Oct. 6, 2011.

Wynne has admitted the closures of plants in Liberal ridings were “political decisions” and said last week she’s “sorry” the costs to taxpayers were so high.

Read more about: