Treasury Board president Liz Sandals referred to figures in the Financial Accountability Office's report on the Fair Hydro Plan as "estimates of something or other" in Question Period Monday — which, apparently, "gobsmacked" the leader of the third party.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath had asked in Question Period about the cost of consultants the government used in creating its Fair Hydro Plan, and in her question mentioned figures from the FAO report — including <a href="http://www.qpbriefing.com/2017/10/18/the-estimated-4-billion-needless-cost-of-the-fair-hydro-plan-dominates-debate-at-queens-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the $4 billion the FAO estimated the government could save</a> by taking on the debt involved directly, rather than through the complex borrowing structure it plans to use.
"First of all, I think it’s important to understand that the numbers that the leader of the third party is throwing around were estimates of something or other — projections that came from the FAO," Sandals responded.
And to that, Horwath shot back: "I have not been gobsmacked in this place for a long time, but for a minister to get up and talk about estimations of 'something or other' is pretty worrisome; for a governing party to do that is pretty worrisome."
The NDP leader continued to criticize the government's use of consultants in media scrums, using three synonyms for one part of the human anatomy in accusing the Liberal government officials of "protecting their own fannies," "backsides" and "political rear."
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While in Kitchener Monday, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the latest developments in her government's plan to build a high-speed rail corridor between Toronto and Windsor. The government <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/high-speed-rail" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">launched a website</a> with the latest updates on the plan, which it says could cut travel times across the corridor from over four hours to just over two. According to the website, it could be completed as early as 2031, with the formal environmental assessment process beginning next year. 
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Meanwhile, Children and Youth Minister Michael Coteau announced $530,000 spending over two years on programs for autistic children and their families provided by the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre (SAAAC).
The Assessment, Development, Empowerment programs offer information to help families navigate autism services and the SAAAC CARES Parental Mental Health Program offers caregivers emotional support and counselling after their child's diagnosis.

In brief: Estimates of something or other, high-speed rail and autism support funding

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