TORONTO -- Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says she has obtained legal advice and is demanding Tory Leader Tim Hudak stop repeating an accusation claiming she "possibly ordered" the destruction of government documents in the gas plants scandal.
In an open letter Sunday, Wynne calls Hudak's comments "false, misleading and defamatory allegations" that she says are "utterly unsupported" by evidence.
She demands Hudak and his caucus stop making the claim and remove it from their website -- which carried it as of Sunday morning -- and all other party communications.
Wynne writes that unless that is done she will "take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure your false statements are corrected."
A Wynne spokeswoman would not say what specific steps the premier is considering.
Hudak's office did not immediately comment.
Hudak made the comments Thursday after the explosive release of court documents alleging police, who have an ongoing criminal investigation into the scandal, believe the chief of staff of former premier Dalton McGuinty gave an outside tech expert -- the boyfriend of a senior staffer -- access to 24 computers in the premier's office.
According to the documents, top aide David Livingston sought high-level access to the computers to "wipe clean the hard drives" after McGuinty resigned amid controversy over the costly cancellation of two gas plants ahead of the 2011 election.
Hudak told a news conference that "We now know that the coverup and criminal destruction of documents and emails took place in Kathleen Wynne's office under her watch as premier," adding that she "possibly ordered the destruction of documents."
In a snap news conference shortly after, Wynne said Hudak's accusations that she participated in a crime and a coverup are "irresponsible... disgraceful and they're an insult to his office."
She said members of McGuinty's staff had no access to the premier's office once she took over.
Wynne said Livingston "does not work in my office, nor in my government, nor has he ever worked in my government," and says she and her government are co-operating with the provincial police investigation. She said the police allegations, if true, would be "very disturbing."
It's alleged that during the transition period to Wynne's administration, Livingston arranged for his executive assistant Wendy Wai to have special access to desktops in the premier's office, even though she had little knowledge of computers.
Police believe Peter Faist, who wasn't a government employee, was the person who actually accessed the 24 computers using Wai's administrative privileges, including former deputy chief of staff Laura Miller's, Livingston's and other staffers.
Faist, who police believe is Miller's partner, was never officially hired by the government and did not undergo the required security screening, the documents say.
According to two staffers in the premier's office, Faist accessed their computers a few days before Wynne was sworn in, saying he was getting them ready for the next government, police say.
The staffers said they couldn't log into their computers after Faist left and called IT staff, who said it was clear that system files had been deleted, police allege.
A lawyer for Livingston has said his client did not break the law.
Wynne demands Hudak stop claiming she had role in alleged gas plant coverup
