It has always been the practice of Ornge to keep its principal stakeholder, the Government of Ontario, fully informed about developments in its operations.”

- Letter from ORNGE Chair Rainer Beltzner to Health Minister Deb Matthews, dated January 19, 2011 

 We now have details about what high-ranking Liberals knew, and when they knew it, regarding the ongoing scandals at ORNGE, Ontario PC MPP Frank Klees said today.

“Health Minister Deb Matthews and senior McGuinty Liberal staffers were completely aware of what ORNGE executives were up to,” Klees said.

A released letter to Health Minister Deb Matthews from ORNGE Chair Rainer Beltzner, dated January 19, 2011, lays out plans agency executives had to leverage taxpayers’ money for new for-profit business ventures.

“Taxpayers’ hard earn money is supposed to go to frontline medical rescue and air transport services. It’s not Monopoly money you play around with,” Klees added.   

“The letter further states that an in-person briefing was scheduled for January 24, 2011 for representatives from the Premier’s Office and the Ministry of Health to discuss ORNGE’s business scheme in detail. This did happen.”

The six senior McGuinty Liberal staffers copied on the letter include:

• ·        Jamison Steeve, Principal Secretary, Premier’s Office
• ·        Kathy Worden, Policy Advisor, Premier’s Office
• ·        Dan Carbon, Policy Advisor, Premier’s Office
• ·        Tim Shorthill, Chief of Staff, Minister of Finance
• ·        Flavio Volpe, Chief of Staff, Minister of Economic Development and Trade
• ·        Mary Lowe, Chief of Staff, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care 

“We need to get to the bottom of this. The McGuinty Liberals have no choice but to accept our call for a Select Committee of the Legislature to investigate properly.”  

“And what’s more concerning is that while ORNGE executives are being investigated for abusing taxpayer dollars, this same agency – responsible for delivering health care - is also under investigation for four separate deaths involving it.  This is unacceptable,” Klees concluded.