Case stories

Every year, we help thousands of people solve problems with government and public sector services. These case stories show how we work to ensure Ontarians are treated fairly – an essential part of protecting rights and ensuring fairness in public services.

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Displaying 1 - 21 of 502

Unscientific translations

A Francophone father contacted us after visiting the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto with his family in the summer of 2023.
French language services

The screens on the bus say “we speak French”

GO Transit, the public transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, is a division of government agency Metrolinx.
French language services

The real cost of a “free” translation tool

A Francophone from British Columbia received a ticket from an Ontario municipality requiring him to pay thousands of dollars in fines.
French language services

The future is bilingual

The future Ontario line will be a 15.6-kilometre subway line in Toronto. A Franco-Torontonian who wanted to know how work on the line was coming along complained to us that the social media content on X (@OntarioLine) for this Metrolinx project was in English only.
French language services

Tailor-made forms

The Child and Family Services Review Board conducts reviews and hearings on a number of matters that affect children, youth and families in Ontario.
French language services

Settling the bills

In the Commissioner’s 2022-2023 Annual Report, we mentioned a Francophone who had received a bill from the Ministry of Transportation’s Highway Incident Claims Unit following a car crash in the Ottawa area.
French language services

Right on target

A Francophone who was interested in taking a firearm safety course visited the Firearms Safety Education Service of Ontario (FSESO) website, as the FSESO offers firearm handling courses.
French language services

One fare, two languages

While riding the Viva Blue bus line, operated by York Region Transit (YRT) between Newmarket and Toronto, a Francophone woman noticed that a Metrolinx brochure available in the bus was in English only.
French language services

No time to lose

Two Francophone students who were new to Ontario contacted us to report that the financial aid staff at an English-language college who administer the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) were unable to process their applications, as none of them could review the documents the students had submitted in French.
French language services

No test, no job

After completing truck driver training in Ottawa, a Francophone tried multiple times to get a certified bilingual driver examiner for his test at a DriveTest centre in southern Ottawa, a designated area under the French Language Services Act.
French language services

New exhibits – on social media

In fall 2023, a Francophone contacted us to report the lack of French in the social media posts of an Ontario museum.
French language services

Making room for French

A Franco-Torontonian looking for a family activity in his neighbourhood was interested in the exhibition called “Lumière: The Art of Light” at Ontario Place.
French language services

Lost in translation

While watching the livestream of the tabling of the province’s 2024 budget on the Government of Ontario’s French YouTube channel, a Francophone noticed that, when the Minister of Finance spoke in French near the end of the video, the interpreter translated what he said into English.
French language services

Long-term solution

A Francophone reached out to us after taking part in a webinar hosted by a non-profit organization that receives funding from the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
French language services

Language support

The Ontario Autism Program, administered by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, offers support to families of children and youth on the autism spectrum.
French language services

Heritage plaques: See other side

We noticed that the same text – in English only – appeared on both sides of the provincial plaque at Old City Hall in downtown Toronto.
French language services

Ensuring bilingual service

A Francophone man told us about a workplace accident that left him unable to use his legs for a few years.
French language services

Dropped call

Ontario Northland, a government agency, is responsible for providing transportation services in Northern Ontario.
French language services

Daycare designations – Not child’s play

In February 2024, we learned via the news media of possible changes happening at Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, a Francophone daycare centre in Toronto that appears in Ontario Regulation 398/93 as a government agency designated under the French Language Services Act.
French language services

Cracking the code

To prepare for a virtual hearing where he was representing himself without the help of legal counsel, a Francophone man tried to access a secure portal on the Ministry of the Attorney General’s website.
French language services

Comprehensive training

An employee of a Francophone non-profit organization in eastern Ontario was responsible for organizing French language training for members of the employer’s joint health and safety committee.
French language services