The Premier says he never saw a memo from a government lawyer who sounded the alarm about Ornge almost 8 years ago.

In 2004, the lawyer warned that there were problems with the deal the government ended up signing with the troubled air ambulance service.

The opposition says it shows the government ignored red flags about Ornge for years, even from its own bureaucrats.

Former health minister George Smitherman says the legal memo wasn't sent to him or his staff to the best of his knowledge, so allegations that he ignored the advice are inaccurate.

But Progressive Conservative critic Frank Klees doesn't believe Smitherman, who signed the flawed performance agreement in 2005.

He says if Smitherman didn't see the legal memo, he wasn't doing his job.