Alf Apps and the Ornge Debacle

[Keepitsimple]

Buried a few pages into today's Star was this rather innocuous column about Alf Apps. Can you imagine if old Alfie had been President of the Conservative party? Would this not be front page news? Lets see if the CBC or anyone else runs with the stoiry - digs in a bit deeper. Don't hold your breath!

The lawyer who was involved in many of ORNGEs deals has resigned from his law firm.

Alf Apps, who is also the former president of the Liberal Party of Canada, tendered his resignation Friday afternoon from law firm Fasken Martineau. Apps was listed as a counsel to the firm, not a partner.

Meanwhile, ORNGE is preparing a request for proposal, inviting law firms to bid for legal work at the air ambulance firm, ORNGE president Ron McKerlie told the Star.

A recent Star story revealed that since 2005, Fasken has been paid about $9 million by ORNGE for legal fees, expenses and disbursements for work that included structuring the air ambulance services now closed for-profit companies. Apps began working on ORNGE files in 2007.

Another $2 million in payments were paid to other firms over the same period. Fasken Martineau was the lawyer for the former air ambulance service based at Sunnybrook Hospital and when founder Dr. Chris Mazza started ORNGE in 2005 Fasken came on as its law firm.

Apps is also chairman of a company ORNGE chose last fall to try to raise $15 million to support its for-profit business.

Fasken managing partner Martin Denyes said in a statement that Apps is joining the law firm Wildeboer Dellelce LLP.

At Wildeboer Dellelce, Mr. Apps intends to continue practicing law and to pursue his many business and board interests, Denyes said.

Mr. Apps colleagues at Fasken Martineau wish him well, he added.

Edited February 12, 2012 by Keepitsimple

[MiddleClassCentrist]

A Conservative pushing for profit health initiatives is expected.

A Liberal pushing for profit health initiatives, less expected but not outside of the realm of possibility (middle of road approach would say some non-profit, some for profit).

A New Democrat pushing for profit health initiatives would be scandalous.

Being an MP of any colour, pushing/advocating for profit health initiatives that systematically deny recommended emergency care that health professionals demand to save lives, is scandalous.

Maybe this should be a bit if a bigger issue than a single column.

Edited February 12, 2012 by MiddleClassCentrist

[Keepitsimple]

The CBC and others still haven't caught on yet.....but Mr. Apps appears to be heavily involved in providing advice to the McGuinty gang that there was nothing wrong at Ornge. Mr. Apps of course was the long-standing President of the Federal Liberal Party at the time.

In an interview before the news conference, Ms. Matthews said Ornge’s lawyers also told her there was no “intermingling of private and public funds.”

Asked if by “lawyers” she meant Alfred Apps, who at the time was a lawyer at Ornge’s lead law firm, Fasken Martineau, Ms. Matthews responded, “Yes. ... It was the team of lawyers.”

Mr. Apps, former president of the Liberal Party of Canada and a key legal adviser to Ornge, helped executives of the air ambulance service navigate the highest levels of government at the provincial legislature.

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-health-minister-says-she-was-misled-on-ornge-spending/article2342090/

[Shakeyhands]

This was the front page, lead story on the 10th... Not sure what you are on about.

ORNGE: Alf Apps resigns from his law firm

Another Star story on the 7th talks about Apps' involvement....

ORNGE boss Chris Mazza and his dreams and schemes

Both articles state that Apps was past President...

[Keepitsimple]

Silly me I guess. My point was if the President of the Conservative Party of Canada had been involved in the Ornge debacle - that it would have without a doubt be receiving big-time play on the CBC - probably assigned to Terry Milesky - digging in deeper and deeper.