Indigenous Services Plan Launch Event
March 12, 2026
Paul Dubé
Welcome distinguished guests, Elders, community leaders, partners, colleagues, friends.
Thank you for joining us for this important milestone on the Reconciliation journey of Ombudsman Ontario.
Before we begin, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the traditional Indigenous territories on which we are privileged to live and work.
The Ombudsman Ontario’s work takes place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province we now call Ontario.
The City of Toronto, where our Office is located, is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
We are thankful to be able to live and work on this land, and we acknowledge the many treaties that overlay it.
[Introducing Grandmother Kim Wheatley]
As we gather in this spirit of respect, learning, and relationship‑building, it is my honour to welcome Grandmother Kim Wheatley to open our event.
Anishinaabe Traditional Grandmother Kim is Ojibway, Potawatomi and Caribbean in ancestry.
She is from Shawanaga First Nation and carries the spirit name “Head or Leader of the Fireflower”.
Grandmother Kim has worked for decades with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across Canada.
She is widely recognized for her lifelong dedication to Indigenous Knowledge sharing, and work that has reached national and international television, radio, and news publications.
She has collaborated with dozens of First Nation communities, organized numerous Indigenous events, authored several books, and earned multiple awards for her leadership.
We are honoured to welcome her to guide us in opening today’s gathering.
[Thanking Grandmother Kim Wheatley]
Grandmother Kim, miigwetch once again for your prayer and your teachings. Please accept this tobacco as a token of our gratitude and respect.
[Paul presents Grandmother Kim with red pouch of tobacco]
[Introducing Sara Loft]
And now, I am pleased to introduce Sara Loft from Tawi:ne Consulting Inc. to speak on the journey that helped shape the Indigenous Services Plan.
Sara, her colleague Olga Semenovych , and Tawi:ne have been instrumental in leading this project, and I am so grateful for their partnership in this endeavour.
They guided us through the development of the Plan, provided thoughtful advice on complex issues, helped us build and strengthen relationships, and led the Indigenous engagement sessions that shaped the plan we are presenting today.
Sara is Bear Clan from the Kanienkehà:ka Nation, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and an elected Member of Council.
She spent several years with the Federal Government before her role as a Special Advisor to the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
Her company, Tawi:ne Consulting Inc., specializes in Indigenous engagement and private partnerships. Sara has an in-depth knowledge of Indigenous issues on a local and national level from her work with government and the private sector.
We are truly grateful for Sara’s leadership, her insight, and her steady guidance throughout this process.
This plan would not exist in its current form without her and Olga’s contributions, and we thank them deeply for walking alongside us in this work.
Sara, we invite you to say a few words.
[Thanking Sara Loft]
Thank you, Sara, for your thoughtful remarks and for the vital guidance you and Olga have provided us throughout this project.
[Introducing Que Rock]
Next, I am very pleased to introduce Quentin Rocky Commanda – known professionally as Que Rock – the artist behind the artwork featured in our report, and which you see all around you, titled “All our relations”.
As Que Rock noted in his description of this work, “Each design of the Bear (Mukwa Dodem) represents one of the four directions (east, south, west and north). When all four designs are together in one image, they represent the many layers of the Anishinaabe Medicine wheel. These layers are filled with infinite possibilities of teachings.”
As we release this Indigenous Services Plan, we do so with respect for these teachings and the wisdom they symbolize.
Quentin, whose Spirit Name is Manidoo Nemeen, meaning Spirit Dancer, is from Garden Village, Nipissing First Nation.
He is a professional muralist, illustrator, and designer whose work can be found at school boards and institutions across Toronto, including the University of Toronto.
His artistic contributions also extend to the Toronto Transit Commission and the City of Toronto Street Art (StART), where he is a roster artist and cultural producer.
Que Rock is also a hip-hop artist, a grass dancer, and a fire keeper.
His murals have been exhibited across Canada, Japan, China, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
We are honoured to have his creativity woven throughout this work. Que Rock, we welcome you to speak tonight about your vision for this project.
[Thanking Que Rock]
Miigwetch, thank you, Que Rock, for sharing your words and for bringing your incredible artistry to this project.
Friends, today we are introducing our Indigenous Services Plan—an initiative that has become one of the most meaningful priorities for Ombudsman Ontario over the past several years.
This moment represents the culmination of several years of dedicated effort, reflection, and relationship building.
It also marks the beginning of a new chapter in how our Office serves Indigenous Peoples and communities across Ontario, building on stories shared and lessons learned.
This Plan is more than a document. It is a commitment. It is a roadmap. It’s a living plan.
And it is a reflection of how we believe a modern Ombudsman institution can support and serve Indigenous Peoples and communities in Ontario in an equitable way.
As Ontario’s Parliamentary Ombudsman, I lead an institution whose mandate is to promote fairness, accountability, transparency, and respect for rights in the delivery of public services.
We are independent of government, and we are empowered to ensure that public bodies treat people properly and justly.
But independence and authority are not enough.
To truly fulfill our mandate, we must be accessible to everyone. We must be trusted by everyone.
And we must ensure that our services respond to the diverse realities of the people of this province—especially those who have historically experienced barriers, been underserved, or experienced marginalization by public institutions.
That understanding is what brings us here today.
For too long, many Indigenous individuals and communities have not seen themselves reflected in public institutions.
Too often, government systems have failed to understand their needs, their rights, and their experiences.
We feel strongly that Ombudsman Ontario has a responsibility to help change that.
So, we made the co-development of this Indigenous Services Plan a clear organizational priority.
And we understood that we could not simply design it from within our own walls.
If this Plan was going to be meaningful, it had to be shaped through consultation, relationship building, listening, and learning.
And that is exactly what we set out to do.
My team and I have travelled across this province to visit communities, meet with Indigenous leaders, Knowledge Keepers, community members, service providers, and organizations.
We listened to concerns about public services and heard the frustrations with government systems. And we listened to hopes for what an independent oversight body like ours could become.
Those conversations were not always easy.
But they were honest, respectful, and essential.
We learned that many Indigenous people do not know what the Ombudsman does—or doubt whether our Office can help them.
We heard that complaint processes can feel intimidating or disconnected from Indigenous ways of resolving problems.
And we heard clearly that trust must be earned through consistent action, not just good intentions.
This Plan is our response to what we heard.
It represents a deliberate shift in how we approach our work with Indigenous Peoples.
Rather than expecting communities to always come to us, we are committing to go to them. Rather than assuming we have all the answers, we are committing to keep listening and learning.
Through this process, we have begun to co-create a new way forward.
The Ombudsman Ontario Indigenous Services Plan sets out practical steps to expand and improve our services—so that they are more accessible, more culturally safe, and more relevant to Indigenous realities.
It focuses on building internal capacity within our Office, strengthening relationships with the Indigenous community, and ensuring that Indigenous voices inform how we handle complaints and investigations.
Importantly, this Plan also recognizes that the Ombudsman institution is uniquely positioned to make a difference.
We acknowledge and respect Indigenous sovereignty and the right of communities to govern themselves.
But we do oversee hundreds of provincial and municipal bodies—programs and services that affect almost every aspect of daily life: child welfare, justice, corrections, health care, education, housing, social services, and more.
When those services and systems fail Indigenous people, our Office has the authority to act.
We can investigate. We can make findings. We can recommend change.
And we can shine a light on problems that might otherwise remain invisible.
By improving how we serve Indigenous complainants and communities, we can help ensure better public services and greater respect for Indigenous rights.
That is how we can contribute—within our mandate—to the broader journey of reconciliation.
This Indigenous Services Plan is an important step on that path. But it is only the beginning.
Today’s launch is an important milestone, but it is not the end of the journey.
Reconciliation is not a single destination.
It is an ongoing process that requires humility, patience, and perseverance.
It requires institutions like ours to examine how we work, to acknowledge past shortcomings, and to commit continuously to doing better.
This Plan is therefore a living commitment. It will continue to evolve as our relationships deepen and as we learn from experience.
We know that plans do not build trust—people do. Actions do. Relationships do.
So, as we move forward, we will continue to engage with the Indigenous community.
We will continue to seek guidance and feedback.
And we will measure our progress openly and transparently.
Our goal is simple but ambitious: to ensure that Indigenous Peoples see Ombudsman Ontario as a place they can turn to with confidence—an institution that listens, that understands, and that helps make government services more fair, more inclusive, and more respectful.
I want to thank everyone who contributed their time, knowledge, and wisdom to the co-creation of this Plan.
Your voices have shaped it, and they will continue to guide us in the years ahead.
Together, we are building an Ombudsman Office that better reflects the diversity of Ontario and better serves all of its people.
Thanks also to my Ombudsman Ontario team, especially Deputy Ombudsman Barb Finlay, and Directors Aoife Coghlan, Andrea Dobi, Diana Cooke and Linda Williamson for their tireless work and commitment to this initiative.
I also want to express my profound appreciation to Sara Loft, Olga Semenovych and the Tawi:ne team who have provided us with invaluable guidance and support in this process.
Thank you, Grandmother Kim for once again traveling to join us for an important event and sharing your wisdom.
And finally, a special thank you goes to Que Rock, the exceptional artist whose creative talent has helped bring this plan to life.
And to everyone here tonight: Thank you for your time, your attention, and your willingness to be part of this journey with us.
I hope you’ll all stay for the reception, enjoy some refreshments, share reflections, and continue the important conversations that have guided this initiative.
Miigwetch! Thank you!