Tory MPP Frank Klees said Wednesday he would make the unusual move to compel McGuinty to face a grilling at a legislative committee.
During question period, a grim-faced McGuinty ducked repeated questions about whether he would appear.
Klees is a member of the public accounts committee investigating the air ambulance agency’s questionable business contracts, high salaries and odd real estate deals. ORNGE receives $150 million in public funds each year to operate.
“I am going to be drafting a motion and I’ll present it to the clerk today,” Klees told reporters. “The people of Ontario deserve to hear from their premier. This has now reached the doorstep of the premier’s office.”
Klees wants to know why McGuinty endorsed Mazza’s complicated business plans when senior civil servants advised against it.
The committee is dominated by Tory and New Democratic Party members in this Liberal minority government.
NDP MPP France Gelinas said she’ll support McGuinty taking the stand. However, all Klees has to do is add McGuinty’s name to the list — he does not need a special motion to make it happen, she said.
“I have no problem questioning the premier. Is he at the top of my list right now? Absolutely not. I have my eyes on Dr. Chris Mazza,” said Gelinas.
Mazza could appear before the hearing in July, she added.
The House leaders are considering a motion Wednesday that would bring Mazza before the committee on July 18 — under the guise of a special hearing.
Mazza was supposed to testify on June 6 but that date has once again been delayed — the physician has numerous doctors’ notes that state he is unfit to testify.
“I have access to the premier every day but I don’t have access to Dr. Mazza,” she said. “We are really close to bringing him in.”
It is rare for a sitting premier to take a stand at an inquiry or a committee. Former Premier Mike Harris was compelled to testify at the Walkerton inquiry into the E.coli tainted water tragedy where seven people died and 2,000 fell ill.
After he left office, Harris also testified at the Ipperwash inquiry looking into the 1995 fatal police shooting of First Nation protester Dudley George.
Also on Wednesday, fired ORNGE chief operating officer Tom Lepine is expected testify and answer questions as to why agency officials sought to place a helicopter base at Oshawa airport instead of Peterborough and if federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty made an attempt to influence the decision.
Three emails obtained by the Toronto Star from Liberal government sources imply Flaherty was interested in where ORNGE was to relocate.
The first email, dated June 11, 2011 and sent by ORNGE staffer Matthew Ellis to Lisa Kirbie, the agency’s director of government relations, said: “Jim Flaherty is eagerly waiting a decision on whether or not we’ll be going to Oshawa.”
The Oshawa airport is in Flaherty’s riding.
Liberal committee member MPP Jeff Leal, who represents the Peterborough riding, said all three levels of government had recently put $30 million into expanding the Peterborough airport and there was no operational reason why Oshawa was chosen instead.
“We spent $30 million to redo, retrofit and refresh the Peterborough airport,” said Leal. “One of the reasons why we embarked on this ambitious overhaul . . . was to attract more services. It was certainly in line to accommodate the specs for ORNGE.”
The committee has heard testimony from Rick Potter, the agency’s former aviation boss, that putting a satellite operation in Oshawa was something he’d never recommend.
That decision has since been put on hold by the Ministry of Health.
Leal says he understands the City of Oshawa put an “interesting package of incentives” on the table to bring ORNGE to their city. “I am trying to find details of what that incentive package was all about,” he said.
Chisholm Pothier, Flaherty’s director of communications, told the Star that as an “elected representative of Whitby-Oshawa, he takes every opportunity to encourage improved services for constituents.”
Lepine takes the stand this afternoon.
Earlier Wednesday, the committee heard from Tom Rothfels, the former chief operating officer of ORNGE International.
He testified he had considerable aviation background but decisions were made at ORNGE he did not understand.
One of those was why ORNGE founder Dr. Chris Mazza wanted to give back millions in savings Potter had found in an agreement with Italian helicopter firm AgustaWestland to buy 12 choppers.
That deal is now being probed by the Ontario Provincial Police.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Tanya Talaga and Robert Benzie
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