Ontario’s Health Minister Eric Hoskins says the lack of a fee agreement will not impact Ontarians access to health care.

Sixty-three per cent of Ontario Medical Association members who cast ballots Sunday voted against the four-year tentative fee deal, which would have raised the $11.5-billion physician services budget by 2.5 per cent in each of the four years.

 “This process will not impact patient access to services,” Hoskins said at a news conference in Windsor on Tuesday afternoon.

Hoskins says the next move is up to the OMA.

The OMA says it wants to get a new negotiating mandate from doctors who rejected the deal.

OMA president Dr. Virginia Walley says doctors will be canvassed to see what they liked in the agreement, what they didn't like, and what they want to ask for when negotiations with the government resume.

She says the association needs to work with physicians to "calmly and thoughtfully" determine what its new mandate will be.

Walley says the government was reckless to impose unilateral fee cuts, which she admits angered and frustrated physicians.

Doctors opposed to the fee agreement were upset it didn't include binding arbitration to settle future disputes, but Walley says the government wouldn't agree so the OMA will continue to fight the issue in court.

The New Democrats said the government must reconsider binding arbitration to restore what they call "respectful bargaining," while the Progressive Conservatives said the issue "should be on the table."

Hoskins issued a statement on Monday saying he was disappointed in the doctors' vote.

With files from The Canadian Press.