. . . at Queen's Park, across Ontario and elsewhere.

* The Standing Committee on Estimates met Wednesday for further debate with Energy Minister Chris Bentley who said his Ministry would table the requested documents pertaining to the closure of the Mississauga power plant by the end of day as required by Tory MPP Rob Leone.

* During the Standing Committee on Legislative Assembly, NDP house leader Gilles Bisson said it’s looking more and more likely committees will be allowed to travel during the summer recess. So that committee’s review of standing orders could head to Chicago this summer and even the British Isles or Australia. Closer to home, a motion to allow committees to travel and meet throughout the summer could see the Aggregate Resources Act review hit the road and Public Accounts’ ORNGE hearings continue.

* Milton Council has voted 9-2 in favour of building a $40 million velodrome for the 2015 Pan Paraplan American Games. Said Mayor Gord Krantz: “We won’t see the benefits next year and the year after but guess what people are going to be saying five, 10 years from now? What a smart bunch the majority of those people who made this decision were. Mark it down and see how right I am.”

* Wilfrid Laurier instructor Tracey Weiler is the first candidate to declare for the Tory nomination in the Kitchener-Waterloo by-election expected in late summer or early fall. The vote will be held to replace former MPP Elizabeth Witmer, who stepped down last month to take over as chair of the WSIB. Research fellow Stacey Danckert is the lone declared candidate for the Green Party of Ontario.

* Lawyers on both sides of class action lawsuit against Durham Region have signed off on a $500,000 settlement. The action was brought after a nurse misplaced a USB containing the personal information of more than 83,000 patients in 2009. The deal must still be approved by a judge and the region might still face claims from individuals who can prove they suffered financially.

* Guelph University researchers will receive a total of $2 million in funding for two projects focused on making green auto parts. “Our researchers are combining traditional crop science and cutting-edge technology to produce environmentally friendly, high-performance car parts,” said Kevin Hall, the university’s vice-president for research. “They’re also coming up with practical ways to reduce automobile collisions and improve safety. This work is representative of the exceptional creative capacity at Guelph.”

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