severe austerity measures to curb the growth of the province's debt, which was $215 billion at the time, from reaching $411 billion in five years. While McGuinty inherited a moderate deficit of $5 billion, it had tripled due to his progressive spending programs as well as the recent economic recession. The government was soon mired in controversy on several fronts. As a result of Ontario's budgetary situation, the government took a hard line on public sector wages. It introduced Bill 115 'Putting Students First Act 2012' in order to suspend collective bargaining, impose contracts on teachers and suspend their right to strike for two years. It also introduced legislation to impose a wage freeze on 481,000 additional public sector workers in hospitals, colleges, public agencies and the civil service. In 2012, the Liberals were plagued by yet another scandal. During the Ornge Air Ambulance scandal, the CEO was paid 14.1 million dollars, and the executives purchased a commercial building, and them leased it back to themselves at a higher than market rate, through a shell company. The Liberals had hoped to regain their majority through by-elections and on September 6, 2012, two by-elections were held, one in Vaughan which the Liberal Party won, and another in Kitchener—Waterloo. Former Deputy Premier Elizabeth Witmer, a Progressive Conservative, had represented Kitchener—Waterloo for the previous four terms. Her resignation allowed the riding to elect Catherine Fife of the New Democratic Party (NDP), leaving McGuinty's Liberals with a minority government. The NDP victory in Kitchener-Waterloo, the seat the Liberals needed to gain, was attributed in part to the backlash against Bill 115; the Liberals placed third in the riding. McGuinty's minority government was also criticized for a decision during the 2011 election campaign to scrap unpopular gas plants being constructed in Mississauga and Oakville — the move was seen as a politically expedient one made to improve the Liberal Party's chances of retaining the five ridings it held in the area, as the opposition PC's and NDP had already promised to scrap them. The opposition, emboldened by the minority government situation, demanded that Energy Minister Chris Bentley release all documents related to the decision. Bentley delayed prior to releasing 36,000 pages in September and insisted that all documents had been released. The cancellation of the gas plant was estimated to be $950 million to $1.1 billion over approximately 20 years. 2012 prorogation and resignation After