Two Senior Government Officials in McGuinty Government Face Charges

QUEENS PARK –  David Livingston, the former Chief of Staff in former Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government and Laura Miller, the Deputy Chief of Staff face charges of Breach of Trust, Mischief in Relation to Data and Misuse of a computer system to commit the offence of mischief.

The charges come sfter what the Ontario Provincial Police are calling a long and very complicated investigation charges have been laid in the Gas Plant Scandal.

“It’s a disgrace that in the past three years there have been serious allegations levied against several high-ranking officials in the Government of Ontario,” said Patrick Brown, Leader of the Official Opposition.  “Now the OPP has confirmed that the actions of prominent Liberal operative Gerry Lougheed Jr., and Premier McGuinty’s Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff warrant criminal charges.  How many key decision-makers in the Liberal Party need to be charged before the Premier will take responsibility?”

“Government officials must uphold the integrity, transparency and lawfulness their positions require, and Ontarians deserve,”  Brown added. “Premier Wynne campaigned on accountability and transparency, and Ontarians thought she would be different.  I don’t know what Kathleen Wynne can do to restore credibility to the Office of the Premier now that the OPP has laid charges against top Liberal operatives.”

“We need to remember that this is not the end of the OPP investigations into the Premier’s Office.  Pat Sorbara, Premier Wynne’s Deputy Chief of Staff is still the subject of an OPP investigation of alleged breach of the Elections Act in relation to the Sudbury by-election scandal,” concluded Brown.

The OPP state that both of the former Liberal Government employees stand accused of deleting computer records in connection with the cancellation of two natural gas-fired power generation plants in the Greater Toronto area.

That cancellation cost Ontario taxpayers an estimated $1 billion.