MPP raises concern over loss of paramedic’s driver’s licence
Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod on Monday asked Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca to reinstate the driver’s licence of an Ottawa-based paramedic who has post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The minister and all members must be concerned about how this looks, stigmatizing people further who have mental health concerns,” MacLeod said in the provincial legislature.
Marie-Julie Cosenzo, 36, has been off work from her job at the Coopérative des Paramédics de l’Outaouais since last October after responding to a traumatic call involving a teenager who died by suicide. Cosenzo, who lives in Barrhaven, learned earlier this month that the Ministry of Transportation was suspending her driver’s licence because of her mental health condition.
MacLeod explained to MPPs that Cosenzo’s licence was suspended because of “psychiatric disorder,” but Cosenzo’s psychiatrist told MTO there’s no psychological reason why she should be banned from driving a personal vehicle.
MacLeod said she has also written a letter to Del Duca about
There is no blanket decision that gets made with respect to the medical review of licences.
Cosenzo’s licence suspension.
Another Tory MPP, Rick Nicholls of Chatham-Kent-Essex, blamed the government for allowing “systemic discrimination” of people with PTSD.
Del Duca said “the ministry is taking a look at it” but he couldn’t speak directly to Cosenzo’s case.
“From the Ministry of Transportation’s perspective, there is no blanket decision that gets made with respect to the medical review of licences. Everything is done on a case-by-case basis,” Del Duca said.
“At all times the ministry keeps the safety of all users on our roads in terms of its paramount concern.”
Cosenzo has an F-class licence, which allows her to drive an ambulance and a regular passenger vehicle. The licence suspension means she can’t drive any vehicle.
F-class licence holders, as a condition of their licence, must have regular medical checkups and their doctors are compelled to report any medical conditions to the MTO, which then makes a decision about the licence based on the doctor’s information.
Cosenzo said her doctor is concerned about a setback in her recovery if she has a suspended licence.
People who have their licences suspended for medical reasons can ask the ministry for reconsideration based on new information provided by their doctors. Del Duca said MTO is meeting or exceeding its 30-day service standard for reviewing licence suspensions.
The province also has a licence appeal tribunal for people to challenge the MTO’s decision to suspend. Dozens of people take their cases to the tribunal each year. There were 120 appeals received by the tribunal in the fiscal 20142015 year, the most recent time period available, related to medical suspensions of drivers’ licences.