Ex-top Ontario political aide faces sentencing over deleted gas plant emails

TORONTO — A one-time top political aide is set to find out his punishment today for destroying computer records related to Ontario’s gas-plants fiasco.

David Livingston, chief of staff to ex-Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty, was found guilty in January of illegal computer use.

Court heard Livingston was part of a plot to delete records related to the government’s decision to cancel two gas plants ahead of the 2011 Ontario election.The prosecution argued the 65-year-old deserves six months in jail.

The defence urged a conditional discharge, saying bad publicity has been enough punishment for the otherwise well respected former aide.

Today’s scheduled sentencing comes just months before provincial voters cast judgment on McGuinty’s successor, Kathleen Wynne.