We received complaints from members of First Nations about delayed reimbursements under the Ontario First Nations HST rebate program. The program, run by the Ministry of Finance, provides eligible First Nations people, bands, and band councils with rebates of the 8% provincial portion of the HST …
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We received complaints from members of First Nations about delayed reimbursements under the Ontario First Nations HST rebate program.
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 …
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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.
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 …
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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.
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 …
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We heard from a man who was waiting for a new long-form birth certificate for his son.
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 …
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A man came to us for help when a problem with his birth certificate prevented him from applying for federal employment insurance (EI).
Surprise eviction
A woman called us for help on the morning that she, her partner and three children were being evicted. She was shocked that her landlord had obtained an eviction order, because they had agreed to a rent repayment plan during a Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) hearing months earlier, and she had been …
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A woman called us for help on the morning that she, her partner and three children were being evicted.
Lack of urgency
A landlord who claimed her tenant was threatening to kill her and her children asked for an urgent hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Seven months later, still waiting, she sent in a form asking for an expedited hearing, saying the tenant was damaging her property – but her matter …
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A landlord who claimed her tenant was threatening to kill her and her children asked for an urgent hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).
Friendly assistance
A woman complained to us that her friend, who was a client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT), was struggling to pay for her day-to-day expenses with the weekly $50 the OPGT provided. The friend said she tried to resolve the complaint directly with the OPGT, and was …
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A woman complained to us that her friend, who was a client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT), was struggling to pay for her day-to-day expenses with the weekly $50 the OPGT provided.
Post-mortem review
A woman contacted us in frustration over delays and a lack of communication from the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) regarding a deceased relative who had been an OPGT client. She was waiting to be reimbursed for an outstanding funeral expense and told us she had to resubmit …
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A woman contacted us in frustration over delays and a lack of communication from the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) regarding a deceased relative who had been an OPGT client.
What’s in a name?
A woman who immigrated to Canada as a child sought our help in changing her name on official documents. The Office of the Registrar General had raised questions because the name on her birth certificate and certificate of landing in Canada differed from that on later documents, when her mother …
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A woman who immigrated to Canada as a child sought our help in changing her name on official documents.
Copy that
A woman applied for a replacement birth certificate for her adult son, who has a disability, but her request was cancelled because her ex-husband had also applied for a birth certificate for him (ServiceOntario does not permit individuals to have two birth certificates). She then tried to apply for …
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A woman applied for a replacement birth certificate for her adult son, who has a disability, but her request was cancelled because her ex-husband had also applied for a birth certificate for him (ServiceOntario does not permit individuals to have two birth certificates).
Birth displace
A woman who was born in Ontario but living in Quebec applied for a name change after discovering that her birth registration listed the wrong name. She was rejected in both provinces – because she didn’t currently live in Ontario, and because her birth certificate wasn’t issued in Quebec. Officials …
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A woman who was born in Ontario but living in Quebec applied for a name change after discovering that her birth registration listed the wrong name.
Waiting to be heard
A single mom of a child with a disability contacted us in desperation. She had purchased a new house, but the tenants living there refused to move out, and owed more than $20,000 in rent. As the woman waited for a hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board, she had to stop therapy for her daughter …
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A single mom of a child with a disability contacted us in desperation.
Guardian angels
A community support worker contacted us with concerns about a 97-year-old neighbour. She suspected the elderly woman was being taken advantage of by a man who apparently had control over her finances and vehicle. The worker told us she had reported these concerns to the Office of the Public …
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A community support worker contacted us with concerns about a 97-year-old neighbour.
Capacity concerns
A woman sought our help after her husband, who recently had an aneurysm, underwent a capacity assessment to determine his ability to make decisions about his property and personal care. We learned that she had made an application for guardianship of her husband, but her lawyer had not submitted all …
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A woman sought our help after her husband, who recently had an aneurysm, underwent a capacity assessment to determine his ability to make decisions about his property and personal care.
Administrative Justice Delayed, Fairness Denied
FOR RENT O N TA R I O ’ S WATC H D O G O N T A R I O ADMINISTRATIVE JUSTICE DELAYED, FAIRNESS DENIED Investigation into whether the Ministry of the Attorney General, Tribunals Ontario and the Landlord and Tenant Board are taking adequate steps to address delays and case backlogs at the Landlord and …
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Investigation into whether the Ministry of the Attorney General, Tribunals Ontario and the Landlord and Tenant Board are taking adequate steps to address delays and case backlogs at the Landlord and Tenant Board
Apply, return, repeat
A mother contacted us in frustration after waiting several months for her son’s name change to be processed. She had already submitted a notarized application on his behalf twice, seeking to change the name on his birth certificate to reflect his gender identity. When the second submission was …
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A mother contacted us in frustration after waiting several months for her son’s name change to be processed.
Delay of name
A mother complained to us about delays in obtaining long-form birth certificates for her two university-aged children, who needed the documents to apply for post-secondary education funding. Our inquiries with the Registrar General’s office revealed that the documents were stalled in its system …
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A mother complained to us about delays in obtaining long-form birth certificates for her two university-aged children, who needed the documents to apply for post-secondary education funding.
Pardon the delay
A former client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) contacted our Office after she was told she would have to pay an outstanding restitution order to receive a pardon for a past criminal offence. She told us she had paid the order through automatic deductions from her Ontario …
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A former client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) contacted our Office after she was told she would have to pay an outstanding restitution order to receive a pardon for a past criminal offence.
Up in smoke
A woman sought our help after trying for several weeks to get a refund from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) for a package that Canada Post never delivered. She was told – and we confirmed – that her cannabis order had been destroyed when a truck carrying mail and parcels caught fire in the parking …
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A woman sought our help after trying for several weeks to get a refund from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) for a package that Canada Post never delivered.
