The Liberals promised environmental cleanup dollars Saturday, while the Conservatives attacked their rivals on their green-job initiative.

Laurel Broten, the Liberal incumbent in the Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding, and Rocco Rossi, the Progressive Conservative candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence, took to the spotlight for the day as their leaders enjoyed some quiet time.

Speaking at a windy rooftop patio on Toronto’s waterfront, Broten announced a $52 million plan to clean up the Great Lakes.

The plan, dubbed the Great Lakes Protection Act, promises to clean up 17 “hot spots,” including Nipigon Bay on Lake Superior and the Niagara River among others.

She also said the Liberals will reduce water pollution, clean up provincial beaches and promote activities on the Great Lakes. She also touted the Liberal record on coal.

“Since 2003, we have reduced coal-fired electricity by 94 per cent,” said Broten.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we will see (the Conservatives) not go forward with the closure of coal plants,” she added.

Steve Clark, Conservative MPP for Leeds-Grenville, quickly disputed that claim.

“We will be closing down coal by 2014,” Clark said. “We are committed to the environment, and to say we’re not is simply false.”

Derek Stack, executive director of Great Lakes United, which advocates for the health of the lakes, said called the Liberal proposal “a good move for sure. But it’s party politics, and we’ll have to wait and see.”

Stack said cleaning up hot spots, some of which are laced with heavy metals, will be expensive and require a long-term commitment.

Meanwhile, Rossi attacked the Liberals’ green-job creation plans at a last-minute news conference at Queen’s Park.

“Dalton McGuinty’s expensive energy experiments are unravelling all around him,” said Rossi, alluding to McGuinty’s recent tour of Eclipsall Energy Corp., a solar panel manufacturer in Scarborough, which Rossi called a “phony photo opportunity” because the plant wasn’t operating at later in the week.

An Eclipsall statement said the temporary shutdown was due to varying cycles in production.

“We were in production last Tuesday, when Premier McGuinty visited the plant,” it said. “And we anticipate ramping up production again next week.”

McGuinty cited 100 Eclipsall jobs as an example of what the Green Energy Act subsidies provide. The company said it is on its way to hiring those workers.

Rossi said another green company, DMI Industries, which builds wind towers, is now in trouble, despite being touted by the McGuinty government.

“A local official at DMI Industries reports that the company is laying off workers at its Fort Erie plant,” said Rossi, who said the information came from an insider, but didn’t want to reveal any names.

DMI Industries could not be reached for comment.

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Dalton McGuinty took Saturday off and Tim Hudak kept his schedule low-key.

On Saturday morning, Hudak took in the Toronto Ukrainian Festival on Bloor St. W. with wife Debbie and daughter Miller.

He discussed Miller’s favourite television shows with other parents and admitted, with a laugh, “You know, I actually like Yo Gabba Gabba.”

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