The Ontario Legislature will convene for an emergency session Monday and while the rally to Queen's Park is about a strike from Ontario Power Generation workers, the PCs will likely face questions on several other issues.
OPG STRIKE
The government is reconvening during the holiday break to discuss back-to-work legislation regarding Ontario Power Generation workers.
The union representing the employees, the Power Workers Union, served notice late Friday, triggering a 21-day shutdown of its power plants.
However, Energy Minister Greg Rickford said Friday, the province could experience outages in as soon as seven to 10 days.
"We have a responsibility to let Ontario know that we're going to proceed through a process swiftly," he said.
NDP Education Critic Marit Styles said Monday the opposition will oppose a bill.
"If we keep doing this, then it means that again, employers are never going to have any incentive to negotiate because everything is just going to be negotiated back," she said.
EDUCATION CUTS
Styles said she'll also be questioning the PCs on their late Friday afternoon notice to cut $25 million in education funding.
The money, which comes out of the Education Programming Other fund, goes towards programs such as tutors and supports for at-risk youth.
The government's rationale was the fund makes up less than one per cent of overall funding, was identified after a review and has been fraught with mismanagement.
Styles said she wants to hear specifics.
"They really are the tip of the iceberg and the fact that the government put this through at the last minute, like in the evening on a Friday means they weren't really keen on people finding out," she said.
Mike Del Grande, vice-chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, said there's a lot of confusion since some programs are already well underway and the cuts are effective immediately.
"It's very difficult, our people are scrambling trying to figure out, what we're still in the middle of and what we're doing and how do you phase it out," he said. "It caught everybody by surprise on a Friday afternoon when everybody's gone home."
TAVERNER
The government could also face more questions regarding the now-delayed appointment of Ron Taverner as OPP Commissioner.
Taverner was set to take over the position Monday morning, but on the weekend informed the government he wished to step aside so that the integrity commissioner could conduct an investigation.
Taverner decision by the government to give him the job has been clouded by controversy.
He is a longtime friend of Premier Doug Ford, the job requirements were lowered so more applicants - including Taverner - could apply and his former boss at Toronto Police was part of the three-person hiring panel.
Last week, interim commissioner Brad Blair requested the provincial ombudsman conduct an investigation and then filed a court application to force one after the ombudsman's office declined.
He cited not only hiring concerns, but reports the premier's office was inquiring that costs associated with a new security vehicle be kept off the books.
Blair has since been demoted to a lower position and Gary Couture, a deputy commissioner, will now take over on an interim basis.
"While the government has full confidence in Mr. Taverner, we will respect his request for a delay in his appointment, until such time as the Integrity Commissioner has conducted a review of the selection process," Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones wrote in a statement.