Media releases

April 3, 2018

Ombudsman welcomes province’s commitment to improving police de-escalation training

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today welcomed a news release from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, confirming it is taking steps to transform how police use force across the...
February 22, 2018

Ombudsman calls for amendments to policing bill to ensure effective civilian oversight

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today flagged several gaps in the province’s proposed new policing legislation, warning that they could undermine its promise of stronger civilian oversight of police.
February 21, 2018

Ombudsman welcomes new legislation to reform correctional services, segregation

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today welcomed new legislation that promises to incorporate many of his recommendations to reform correctional services in the province, particularly the placement and...
December 29, 2017

The Ombudsman's Top 10 Stories of 2017

Ombudsman Paul Dubé’s second year in office was distinguished by our first-ever investigations in the broader public sector (related to municipalities and school boards), important reforms in...
December 29, 2017

Ombudsman promotes changes to Municipal Act : New rules for open meetings as of New Year’s Day

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today shared new resources to inform municipal councils and their constituents about changes to the open meeting rules that take effect on New Year’s Day.
December 14, 2017

Ombudsman to investigate incident at Niagara council meeting

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today informed the Regional Municipality of Niagara that he will conduct a formal investigation into an incident at a council meeting on December 7, when a journalist and a...
November 2, 2017

Statement by Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé on announcement of new policing legislation

The new package of policing legislation tabled by the government today is a welcome response to numerous recommendations my office has made to improve the oversight and accountability of policing in...
August 10, 2017

Boards mishandled school bus driver shortage, Ombudsman finds; Recommendations accepted, improvements in place for new school year

Toronto’s two largest school boards have taken steps to prevent another bus driver shortage this fall, after an investigation by Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé revealed their “actions and inactions” led...
June 27, 2017

Ombudsman lauds new era of oversight - Annual Report 2016-2017

Greater oversight of public sector bodies will improve accountability and services to Ontarians, provided it is consistent and effective, Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé notes today in his latest Annual...
June 2, 2017

Ombudsman nominated as one of Canada’s most influential lawyers

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé is among the nominees for Canadian Lawyer magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada.
May 31, 2017

Ombudsman finds municipality’s trespass order against councillor unjust and excessive

Barring a councillor from the local town hall for more than two years is “excessive and unjustly punitive,” Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé has found in his first investigation of a complaint about a...
May 24, 2017

Ombudsman to investigate communication of driver’s licence suspensions and reinstatements

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today announced an investigation into how the province communicates licence suspensions and reinstatements to drivers who were suspended for unpaid fines, in the wake of...
April 20, 2017

Ombudsman calls for clear new law, strong oversight of inmate segregation

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today called on the province to reform its flawed system of placing and tracking inmates in solitary confinement, after his latest investigation revealed numerous issues...
March 6, 2017

Ombudsman clears Brampton in procurement investigation, calls for improvements to optimize transparency and accountability

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé’s investigation into non-competitive procurements in the city of Brampton found no evidence of maladministration, but identified several ways the city could improve its...
December 30, 2016

Ombudsman’s top 10 stories of 2016

It’s been a year of historic change for our office, as the Ombudsman’s mandate doubled and we were able to help Ontarians with a whole new range of issues in the broader public sector. Here are 10 of...
December 29, 2016

Ontario Ombudsman marks one year of oversight of municipalities and universities

As the new year approaches, the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman is set to mark one year of oversight of municipalities and universities. Since the historic new jurisdiction took effect Jan. 1, the...
December 2, 2016

Ombudsman to investigate segregation process in Ontario jails

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today announced an investigation into how the province tracks and reviews the placement of inmates in solitary confinement in its correctional facilities, in light of...
November 2, 2016

Ombudsman reports on first year of expanded mandate; pledges continued effectiveness as agent of positive change Annual Report 2015-2016

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today released the first annual report of his office’s new, expanded mandate, which was doubled in the past year to include more than 1,000 public sector organizations –...
October 27, 2016

Police oversight reform long overdue: Ombudsman

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today released his submission to the province’s Independent Police Oversight Review, calling for new legislation to make police oversight bodies more effective, accountable...
September 26, 2016

Ombudsman to investigate Toronto school busing issues

Ombudsman Paul Dubé today announced his office will conduct a systemic investigation into recent school busing problems at the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board.
September 9, 2016

Ombudsman to assess Toronto school busing issues

After hearing about problems with busing of students in the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board, Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé has directed staff to assess the...