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Child welfare agencies placing youth in hotels, motels, offices and trailers

Media release, "Ombudsman to investigate child welfare practice of placing children and youth in hotels, motels, offices and trailers" (September 5, 2024) Investigation into the practice of child welfare agencies placing young children and teens in hotels, motels, offices and trailers. Announced …
/en/our-work/investigations/ongoing-investigations/child-welfare-agencies-placing-youth-hotels-motels-offices-and-trailers

When a tree falls…

A man told us he was camping at a provincial park when a crew that was cutting trees damaged several trailers, including his. He said he wrote to the park superintendent to ask them to pay for the damage, but got no response. Result: We reached out to staff at Ontario Parks, which is part of the …
A man told us he was camping at a provincial park when a crew that was cutting trees damaged several trailers, including his.
/en/our-work/case-stories/when-tree-falls

Keeping the lights on

A mother contacted us in a panic when she received notice that her electricity would be disconnected the next day. She told us this would seriously impact her ability to care for her daughter, who has special needs that require her to have lights on through the night. Result: We stepped in quickly …
A mother contacted us in a panic when she received notice that her electricity would be disconnected the next day.
/en/our-work/case-stories/keeping-lights

Slow build

A man who had purchased a plot of undeveloped land came to us after waiting almost two years for a development permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission. The Commission’s role is to safeguard the area’s environmental features, and it specifically considers the impact of development on the …
A man who had purchased a plot of undeveloped land came to us after waiting almost two years for a development permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission.
/en/our-work/case-stories/slow-build

Peace of mine

A resident was concerned about a municipality that was using aggregate (mining waste) from an abandoned mine as part of an infrastructure project and asked us to look into their concerns about this material. They wanted information about the potential environmental harm posed by the use of mining …
A resident was concerned about a municipality that was using aggregate (mining waste) from an abandoned mine as part of an infrastructure project and asked us to look into their concerns about this material.
/en/our-work/case-stories/peace-mine

Continued care

Issues: Children’s aid society, Rights (Get help), Rights (Fairness) A young woman who had been in the care of a children’s aid society (CAS) sought our help because she was not provided with continued care and support – including mental health supports – after she turned 18, even though she was …
A young woman who had been in the care of a children’s aid society (CAS) sought our help because she was not provided with continued care and support.
/en/our-work/case-stories/continued-care

Hair help

Issues: Youth justice facility, Rights (Good care), Rights (Identity) A group of nine youths detained at a youth justice centre complained to us that they could not get hair oil. They complained that this left them with dry hair that was prone to breakage. Result: We made inquiries with the centre …
A group of nine youths detained at a youth justice centre complained to us that they could not get hair oil.
/en/our-work/case-stories/hair-help

Healthy review

Issues: Youth justice facility, Physical restraints, Rights (Safety) A young person in a youth justice centre contacted us after an incident where mechanical restraints were used on him. He complained that he was never assessed by the health care team at the centre after this use of restraints, …
A young person in a youth justice centre contacted us after an incident where mechanical restraints were used on him.
/en/our-work/case-stories/healthy-review

Coming of age

Issues: Rights (Good care), Disability, Indigenous A group home director contacted us about an Indigenous youth with special needs who had been in the home’s care for seven years. The youth was nearing her 18th birthday, and the director was concerned that nothing had been done to ensure that she …
A group home director contacted us about an Indigenous youth with special needs who had been in the home’s care for seven years.
/en/our-work/case-stories/coming-age

Resolved with gratitude

A woman came to us after trying for nine months to get an error corrected on her mother’s death certificate. Her mother’s birthplace was incorrect on the document, and this was causing issues in managing her estate. Result: We raised the issue with officials at the Registrar General, who agreed to …
A woman came to us after trying for nine months to get an error corrected on her mother’s death certificate.
/en/our-work/case-stories/resolved-gratitude

Payment found

After four years of trying to change her legal last name, including a trip to India to get an affidavit verifying her name change from a previous marriage, a woman came to us for help. Result: We discovered the woman’s file was stalled because her payment to the Registrar General for the name …
After four years of trying to change her legal last name, including a trip to India to get an affidavit verifying her name change from a previous marriage, a woman came to us for help.
/en/our-work/case-stories/payment-found

Certified win

A man with a winning lottery ticket came to us for help after the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation refused to release the six-figure prize to him because the only identification he had was an old and damaged birth certificate. He told us he had tried for months to get a new one, but the …
A man with a winning lottery ticket came to us for help after the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation refused to release the six-figure prize to him because the only identification he had was an old and damaged birth certificate.
/en/our-work/case-stories/certified-win

Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation)

The Ombudsman and staff met with community members and leaders. During this visit, the Ombudsman was told there had been a delay in Hydro One installing the poles to bring electricity to these homes, and there appeared to be a communication breakdown between the community and Hydro One.  RESULT: …

The Ombudsman and staff met with community members and leaders. During this visit, the Ombudsman was told there had been a delay in Hydro One installing the poles to bring electricity to these homes, and there appeared to be a communication breakdown between the community and Hydro One. 

RESULT: The Ombudsman reached out to Hydro One’s Ombudsman, and by working together, they were able to communicate the urgency of the situation to the corporation. The hydro line was installed within the month.

/en/our-work/case-stories/asubpeeschoseewagong-netum-anishinabek-grassy-narrows-first-nation

First Nations birth certificates

We helped a First Nations community experiencing administrative barriers to obtaining birth certificates, which are generally required for people to access government services and programs. We were told that these barriers included an online registration process that was sometimes difficult to …
We helped a First Nations community experiencing administrative barriers to obtaining birth certificates, which are generally required for people to access government services and programs.
/en/our-work/case-stories/first-nations-birth-certificates

Family care

We stepped in to help an Indigenous man who was struggling to care for the newborn child of relatives suffering from addiction. No paperwork had been done to secure funding for necessary medication, foster care and other resources. RESULT: As a result of our involvement, a Customary Care Agreement …
We stepped in to help an Indigenous man who was struggling to care for the newborn child of relatives suffering from addiction.
/en/our-work/case-stories/family-care

Married name mishap

A bride whose name was misspelled on her marriage certificate sought our help after waiting in vain for ServiceOntario to send her a form to request a correction. We discovered that the original handwritten marriage certificate had the correct spelling, but her name had been incorrectly typed into …
A bride whose name was misspelled on her marriage certificate sought our help after waiting in vain for ServiceOntario to send her a form to request a correction.
/en/our-work/case-stories/married-name-mishap

At long last

We heard from a man who was waiting for a new long-form birth certificate for his son. He had been told to send the Registrar General some information that was missing from his initial application, but after he did so, he got no confirmation that it arrived. When we checked with Registrar General …
We heard from a man who was waiting for a new long-form birth certificate for his son.
/en/our-work/case-stories/long-last

Writing wrongs

A man came to us for help when a problem with his birth certificate prevented him from applying for federal employment insurance (EI). He was told there were inconsistencies with his parents’ names on his documents – but he couldn’t get further details from ServiceOntario. RESULT: Our inquiries …
A man came to us for help when a problem with his birth certificate prevented him from applying for federal employment insurance (EI).
/en/our-work/case-stories/writing-wrongs

Water clarity

A landlord complained to us that his municipality had put his tenant’s unpaid water and wastewater charges on his property tax bill, without notifying him in advance. He told us he was frustrated because he could not obtain detailed information about the water account – which was in the tenant’s …
A landlord complained to us that his municipality had put his tenant’s unpaid water and wastewater charges on his property tax bill, without notifying him in advance.
/en/our-work/case-stories/water-clarity

Powerful help

A woman whose medical condition makes her reliant on an electric wheelchair, bed and lift was facing having her hydro disconnected because of an outstanding bill of $15,000. Given her vulnerable situation, we prioritized her case, working closely with the hydro company. RESULT: The company arranged …
A woman whose medical condition makes her reliant on an electric wheelchair, bed and lift was facing having her hydro disconnected because of an outstanding bill of $15,000.
/en/our-work/case-stories/powerful-help