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Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak speaks during a campaign stop in London, Ont., on Sept. 13, 2011.Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says he is opposed to a controversial plan to build a gas-fired power plant in Mississauga.

The Liberals announced yesterday that they would reverse plans to build the plant at a site on the border of Mississauga and Etobicoke, prompting critics to accuse them of abandoning policy to save a Liberal seat in the area.

Residents near the proposed site complained it is too close to homes and a hospital, and had promised to make the plant an election issue.

"Clearly you know, when you see the Liberals cancel this plant, what, 11 days before an election? This is a government that is panicking, that is desperate and is on the run," Mr. Hudak said at a campaign stop in Brantford, Ont.

Asked what a PC government would do, Mr. Hudak said the plant has never been a part of his party's plan. "We've opposed these projects in Oakville and Mississauga," he said.

Mr. Hudak said he would ensure new power plants go to "willing host communities," citing Haldimand County, north of Lake Erie, as an example. Haldimand is host to the Nanticoke coal plant, which Mr. Hudak has pledged to convert to a gas-fired plant if he becomes premier.

The Liberals issued a statement yesterday pledging to work closely with community groups and industry when selecting future sites for gas plants.

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