D’Angelo promotional article rankles senior health leaders
Regional CAO said he did not see the article as a conflict of interest
When the Niagara Region was set to spend $3 million on ambulances earlier this year, a paramedic magazine published a promotional product article about an ambulance manufacturer — written by regional chief administrative officer Carmen D’Angelo.
The piece, published in the Canadian Paramedicine magazine’s annual buyers’ guide, highlights an ambulance made by Crestline — the rival of Demers Ambulance, the company from which Niagara EMS has purchased ambulances for years.
Although Crestline did not produce an ambulance that met the needs of Niagara EMS, D’Angelo told the company the Region could defer the purchase of some ambulances to give Crestline time to make an acceptable vehicle.
That plan never came to pass and regional council voted to buy from Demers.
Senior health leaders at the Region were troubled by the incident in part because D’Angelo, a former paramedic and EMS manager, did not voluntarily disclose he wrote the piece. Regional staff were made aware of D’Angelo’s conversations with Crestline from the company’s sales staff.
In the magazine, D’Angelo does not identify himself as regional CAO but as “an advance care paramedic with many years experience in senior management positions.”
D’Angelo, who said he was not paid for the piece, said he omitted his current job from his magazine bio so that his article would not appear as a product endorsement by regional staff. He also said he has written for the guide for a decade and feels it does not constitute a conflict of interest.
“Listen, I have nothing to gain, there’s nothing in it for me to choose one manufacturer or the other. There’s absolutely nothing for personal gain. If there’s no personal gain, then I don’t have a conflict of interest,” D’Angelo said in an interview. “There’s nothing there. I don’t get anything from Crestline. A conflict of interest is only when I’m getting something of benefit or someone in my immediate family is getting something of benefit.”
However, the Region’s conflict of interest policy for staff says that “if a potential or real conflict of interest exists because an employee is promoting a service or product, customers may see the employee as a representative of the Region,” and must disclose the potential conflict to their manager, which in D’Angelo’s case would be regional council.
D’Angelo said he suggested giving Crestline time to build a new vehicle because he was concerned Niagara EMS was sole sourcing its ambulance purchases and wanted to see a “competitive market.”
“I want to review any rationale or justification to go single source. I’ve done it consistently. Everybody knows if they’re going to send Carmen a single-source requisition, they know it will be sent back,” he said.
Senior public health and EMS leaders at the Region, however, were taken aback by the magazine piece, which they say gives the appearance of a conflict of interest given D’Angelo’s sweeping authority as CAO.
The CAO can block or override purchases made by Niagara EMS and public health up to $1 million. Regional sources could not point to instances when D’Angelo used his authority to force the purchase of products he reviewed in the magazine.
New Ambulances needed
In October 2017, regional council approved its 2018 capital budget, which included around $3 million to replace 18 Niagara EMS ambulances.
There are only three manufacturers that sell ambulances approved by Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care: Crestline, Demers and Tri-Star Industries.
Niagara EMS uses a diesel ambulance chassis because of its lower fuel consumption costs, durability and high resale value after its mandated lifespan. It previously purchased ambulances from Crestline, but when its diesel vehicle was discontinued, Niagara EMS switched to Demers, which is the only manufacturer selling a ministry-approved diesel ambulance. In November 2017, Niagara EMS issued a report recommending the purchase of Demers vehicles.
D’Angelo said given the Region’s preference for competitive bidding, he sent the report back asking for information about other manufacturers. EMS reached out to other companies, and Crestline expressed interest in selling to Niagara.
At the same, the buyer’s guide was published. D’Angelo’s “What’s New and Cool” article about a Crestline ambulance also includes his write-ups about gloves, blankets, an IV machine and a decompression needle.
D’Angelo denies his article, which is largely a rewrite of manufacturers’ product pamphlets, is an advertisement or product review.
The Standard asked D’Angelo if he did any hands-on testing of the equipment. He said he may have seen some at conferences.
He said the magazine publisher Lyle Blumhagen asked him to write the piece as “a favour.” In an interview, Blumhagen said he did not approach D’Angelo. He said D’Angelo offered the piece to him.
Blumhagen said he did not know D’Angelo was a municipal CAO but that his former managing editor and current Renfrew paramedic chief Michael Nolan may have.
Nolan could not be reached for comment.
The Crestline write-up highlights its flagship ICON 2.0 ambulance noting its “lower emissions and carbon footprints.”
“The Crestline Type II ambulance also features ergonomic interior space with optional cabinetry,” D’Angelo wrote. It is the second time D’Angelo wrote a piece about the ICON ambulance, penning a similar one in 2016.
Crestline did not respond to interview requests.
D’Angelo said he was only writing about the Crestline technology in an ambulance, not an ambulance chassis, further absolving him of a conflict of interest.
Who knew?
Regional staff and councillors interviewed by The Standard said they were unaware of D’Angelo’s piece in the magazine until it was discovered during the ambulance procurement process.
D’Angelo said regional politicians knew about the articles because he lists being a magazine writer is in his resume.
D’Angelo’s resume, obtained by The Standard, says he is a “writer and editor” for the magazine but does not indicate what he writes. The resume was seen by the CAO selection committee in 2016, but not by regional council as a whole.
He also said while he did not tell Niagara EMS chief Kevin Smith, he reads the magazine. And he said the then-medical officer of health Dr. Val Jaeger must have known about the writeups.
In an interview with The Standard, Jaeger said she only knew about the D’Angelo’s articles when they were brought to her attention after the ambulance purchasing process was underway.