The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) has asked the Ethics Commissioner to determine if Peace River MLA Gary Friedel was in a conflict of interest over the awarding of an air ambulance contract.

Friedel has admitted he wrote a letter of reference for Advanced Paramedic Limited, a private company that was awarded an air ambulance contract. However, Friedel was also a member of a committee that made the decision on the contract.

"This puts Friedel in a conflict of interest," said HSAA president Elisabeth Ballermann. "After having written the letter, Friedel should have had the sense to decline the appointment to the selection committee. It’s clear the MLA exercised poor judgment."

"This implies that if you have friends in high places, you can win government contracts. Friedel’s actions have tainted what should be an open, fair and objective process," Ballermann added.

HSAA urges Gary Mar, the minister of Health and Wellness, to overturn the decision and appoint an unbiased board so that Albertans have confidence that the system of awarding government contracts is fair and impartial.

HSAA also believes the move to privatize the air ambulance service is short-sighted.

"The decision is driven by the Klein government’s ideology that privatization is cheaper and more efficient than the public system. The current non-profit ambulance delivery by PREMS (Peace Regional Emergency Medical Services) provides a highly efficient and integrated service," Ballermann said.

"PREMS currently has the flexibility and depth by interchanging air and ground crews to cover calls. The government has now driven a wedge between the air and ground service removing that flexibility. It’s clear the government is only looking at the immediate bottom line. What’s not clear is the long-term viability of this private operator and whether the company will require additional funds later," Ballermann concluded.

HSAA represents PREMS ambulance employees as well as more than 12,000 professional, technical, and support workers in the health care system.