Starting off right

A Francophone representing himself in a dispute received an English-only email inviting him to sign up for the CaseLines platform (used by Ontario courts) to upload his documents for an upcoming hearing.

A Francophone representing himself in a dispute received an English-only email inviting him to sign up for the CaseLines platform (used by Ontario courts) to upload his documents for an upcoming hearing. He also told us that the platform was unavailable in French. We reached out to the Ministry of the Attorney General. We learned that the platform was available in French, but only after selecting a language when signing up. Francophones had to click “Register” (in English) and then choose “français” on the second page (when signing up).

RESULT: As a result of our intervention, the Ministry added a language choice on the landing page. The Ministry also made sure that the sign-up invitation email is now bilingual. Lastly, we gave the man contact information for a bilingual resource person who provides tech support for the platform.

Learn more about the French Language Services Unit which answers questions and takes complaints about services in French.