The province's troubled Ornge air ambulance system will be subject to Ontario's freedom of information law by the fall.

Health Minister Deb Matthews has re-introduced legislation that the government says will boost oversight of the scandal-plagued air ambulance service and limit what it can do without government approval, such as selling assets.

The original bill was introduced a year ago, one day after it was announced police were investigating financial irregularities at
Ornge, but it died when Dalton McGuinty prorogued the legislature last October.

The only change in the new bill is the inclusion of provisions to put Ornge under the auspices of freedom of information legislation, which the opposition parties had demanded.

Matthews says the performance agreement signed in 2005 that led to Ornge's ill-fated foray into the for-profit sector wasn't
adequate to prevent the abuse of taxpayer dollars.

She says the bill will protect whistleblowers who disclose information on Ornge and allow the government to take control of the
agency in extraordinary circumstances through the appointment of a supervisor.