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No parking

A ​woman who was working temporarily in Ontario and renting a house with no private parking complained to us when the municipality denied her a street parking permit because her vehicle had out-of-province plates. We confirmed that this is the municipality's policy, but it is reviewing its permit …
A ​woman who was working temporarily in Ontario and renting a house with no private parking complained to us when the municipality denied her a street parking permit because her vehicle had out-of-province plates.
/en/our-work/case-stories/no-parking

New identity

After living on the streets for many years, a man sought our help in obtaining valid identification so he could apply for full-time work. His application for a new birth certificate was denied because he had provided incorrect information about his mother. Our staff explored other options for the …
After living on the streets for many years, a man sought our help in obtaining valid identification so he could apply for full-time work.
/en/our-work/case-stories/new-identity

Lack of clear mechanism

We received complaints of alleged violations of the councillor code of conduct in a township. While reviewing the complaints, we determined that the code of conduct wasn't readily available to the public, and there was no clear mechanism for making a complaint. Immediately following our inquiries, …
We received complaints of alleged violations of the councillor code of conduct in a township.
/en/our-work/case-stories/lack-clear-mechanism

Guard let down

A man who needed to renew his Ontario Security Guard licence for work contacted our Office for help in speeding up the process with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. He had been waiting for three months and his existing licence had expired, which threatened to affect his …
A man who needed to renew his Ontario Security Guard licence for work contacted our Office for help in speeding up the process with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
/en/our-work/case-stories/guard-let-down

Fee factor

A homeowner complained that a $1,950 fee he paid to make a severance application was not refunded when his application was denied. Our inquiries with the municipality revealed that the application fee is non-refundable, but this is not communicated to applicants before they pay. The municipality …
A homeowner complained that a $1,950 fee he paid to make a severance application was not refunded when his application was denied.
/en/our-work/case-stories/fee-factor

Denied assistance

A homeless teenager who could not live with either parent was denied assistance through Ontario Works and was not provided with anything in writing about how to appeal the decision. After Ombudsman staff made inquiries with a supervisor at Ontario Works, the teen’s mother confirmed that he was …
A homeless teenager who could not live with either parent was denied assistance through Ontario Works and was not provided with anything in writing about how to appeal the decision.
/en/our-work/case-stories/denied-assistance

Clarifying our jurisdiction

A town clerk contacted our office after the local council, which was considering establishing a code of conduct, expressed the view that it did not need to appoint an Integrity Commissioner, because any complaints related to the code of conduct could be forwarded to the Ombudsman for review. We …
A town clerk contacted our office after the local council, which was considering establishing a code of conduct, expressed the view that it did not need to appoint an Integrity Commissioner, because any complaints related to the code of conduct could be forwarded to the Ombudsman for review.
/en/our-work/case-stories/clarifying-our-jurisdiction

Billing bungle

A man complained after he received a municipal hydro bill of $1,300, when his normal monthly bill was around $29. The company told him his bills had been incorrect for the past two years, but would not provide him evidence of the errors. After Ombudsman staff spoke with the hydro company’s director …
A man complained after he received a municipal hydro bill of $1,300, when his normal monthly bill was around $29.
/en/our-work/case-stories/billing-bungle

Sold out

A man contacted our Office after his municipality closed and sold a road allowance adjacent to his property. His family had used the land to access the river, but they were not notified by the municipality or given the chance to purchase a portion of the land, contrary to municipal policy. The …
A man contacted our Office after his municipality closed and sold a road allowance adjacent to his property. His family had used the land to access the river, but they were not notified by the municipality or given the chance to purchase a portion of the land, contrary to municipal policy.
/en/our-work/case-stories/sold-out

Rude awakening

A man complained to his municipality after a member of council called him names in an email. He was not satisfied when the mayor offered to bring him and the councillor together for a private meeting. Ombudsman staff suggested he raise his concerns with the municipal clerk, but this prompted …
A man complained to his municipality after a member of council called him names in an email. He was not satisfied when the mayor offered to bring him and the councillor together for a private meeting.
/en/our-work/case-stories/rude-awakening

Name changer

In 2001, after years of using his stepfather’s surname, a man decided to revert to his original birth surname. He was issued a short-form Ontario birth certificate reflecting the change. But 12 years later, when he requested a long-form version, it still showed the stepfather’s surname – and …
In 2001, after years of using his stepfather’s surname, a man decided to revert to his original birth surname. He was issued a short-form Ontario birth certificate reflecting the change.
/en/our-work/case-stories/name-changer

Identity issue

A woman who had surrendered her driver’s licence for medical reasons complained to us that she was having trouble obtaining a photo identification card from ServiceOntario. She had presented her expired Canadian passport as documentation to obtain the new card, but was told it wasn’t acceptable. We …
A woman who had surrendered her driver’s licence for medical reasons complained to us that she was having trouble obtaining a photo identification card from ServiceOntario.
/en/our-work/case-stories/identity-issue

Building good policies

A man who had a complaint about his municipality’s chief building official contacted our Office because his municipality did not have a code of conduct in place, even though this is required by the Building Code Act . We spoke to the municipality and confirmed that it had taken steps to respond to …
A man who had a complaint about his municipality’s chief building official contacted our Office because his municipality did not have a code of conduct in place, even though this is required by the Building Code Act.
/en/our-work/case-stories/building-good-policies

All wet

After a man complained to us that his municipality had not responded to his letter about flood damage to his basement, municipal staff initially told us they didn’t answer because they deemed the complaint to be without merit. They then sent the man a letter in which they made findings about water …
After a man complained to us that his municipality had not responded to his letter about flood damage to his basement, municipal staff initially told us they didn’t answer because they deemed the complaint to be without merit.
/en/our-work/case-stories/all-wet

The ABCs of Education and Training

“The ABCs of Education and Training” Investigation into City of Oshawa Development Services Committee Special Meeting of May 22, 2008 André Marin Ombudsman of Ontario March 23, 2009 Complaint 1 On June 11, 2008, we received a complaint alleging that the Development Services Committee of the City of …
Investigation into the City of Oshawa, Development Services Committee special meeting of May 22, 2008.
/en/our-work/investigations/abcs-education-and-training

Pirating Our Property

Ombudsman Report “Pirating Our Property” Investigation into the City of Oshawa’s Apparent Failure to Co-operate André Marin Ombudsman of Ontario April 2009 Table of Contents Overview …
Investigation into the City of Oshawa's apparent failure to co-operate.
/en/our-work/investigations/pirating-our-property

Procuring Progress

Ombudsman Report “Procuring Progress” Investigation into the City of Brampton’s procurement practices, focusing on the administration of its purchasing by-laws, policies and procedures regarding non-competitive procurements Paul Dubé Ombudsman of Ontario March 2017 Table of Contents Executive …
Investigation into the City of Brampton’s procurement practices, focusing on the administration of its purchasing by-laws, policies and procedures regarding non-competitive procurements.
/en/our-work/investigations/procuring-progress

Counter Encounter

“Counter Encounter” Investigation into a complaint about the Township of Red Rock Paul Dubé Ombudsman of Ontario May 2017 Table of Contents Overview ............................................................................................................... 3 Complaint …
Investigation into a complaint about the Township of Red Rock.
/en/our-work/investigations/counter-encounter

Submission on Bill 68, Modernizing Ontario’s Municipal Legislation Act, 2017

Submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy on Bill 68, Modernizing Ontario’s Municipal Legislation Act, 2017 Paul Dubé Ombudsman of Ontario April 2017 Table of Contents Background: Ombudsman’s …
On April 11, 2017, Ombudsman Paul Dubé made a presentation to the Standing Committee on Social Policy regarding Bill 68, Modernizing Ontario's Municipal Legislation Act, 2017.
/en/our-work/submissions-government/submission-bill-68-modernizing-ontarios-municipal-legislation-act-2017