Opposition parties have long believed Ornge, the provincially-funded ambulance service, paid too much when it purchased 12 Italian helicopters for $148-million six years ago -- a purchase that is being investigated by the OPP.

Now, the New Democrats and Progressive Conservatives are outraged to learn the provincially funded corporation is considering selling off its remaining AW139 choppers because they are too costly to fuel and maintain.

Dr. Andrew McCallum, president and CEO of Ornge, says he will consider replacing the helicopters if he can do so at “no additional costs to the taxpayer.”

“The AW139 is a very capable but very expensive machine to operate and so we want to sure we’re doing best thing we can for taxpayer with dollars given,” he says.

Andrea Horwarth, leader of the NDP, says she is “frustrated” by what she alleges is a “boondoggle.”

Michael Harris, a PC MPP, says “a lack of oversight by the Liberals allowed for this to happen.”

Both opposition parties called on former Liberal health minister Deb Matthews to resign after a legislative committee found the government ignored repeated red flags about financial irregularities.

Matthews did not resign; she is now president of the Treasury Board.

Ontario's auditor general also criticized the governing Liberals for failing to oversee Ornge, despite giving it $730 million over five years and allowing it to borrow another $300 million.

Chirs Mazza, the agency’s former CEO, remains under investigation by the OPP for the purchase of the helicopters.

Matthews told the legislative committee that Mazza collected $9.3 million over six years.

The committee revealed that Ornge operated as a conglomerate of 20 interrelated companies controlled by a board of directors and Mazza.

Almost all of the money that flowed to them came from government funds.

Adding to the cost of the air ambulances were renovations required after CTV News revealed three years ago that the choppers did not have enough space to perform CPR.

With a report from CTV Toronto’s Naomi Parness and files from The Canadian Press