TORONTO - Premier Dalton McGuinty is defending a Liberal plan to scrap construction on a gas-fired power plant west of Toronto, saying the move shows his party listens to local communities.
The pledge to stop building the plant in Mississauga, Ont., was quietly made public this weekend after months of fierce opposition from local residents.
McGuinty isn't elaborating on how much it would cost to move the plant, or where it might go.
He says the community near the plant's site has grown significantly since the project was proposed in 2005.
The timing of the pledge to cancel the plant -- less than two weeks before the Oct. 6 election -- has prompted the Progressive Conservatives to slam the plan as an attempt to secure a seat.
Tory Leader Tim Hudak says McGuinty's government is panicked, desperate and on the run.
Hudak says his party opposes the halted project and believes gas-fired power plants should be placed in "willing" host communities.
