Issues: Children’s aid society; Rights (Good care) A young person who was serving a youth sentence at an adult correctional facility complained to us that he was not being provided CAS access to services required by his court-ordered plan. He was under an Intensive Rehabilitation Custody and …
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A young person who was serving a youth sentence at an adult correctional facility complained to us that he was not being provided CAS access to services required by his court-ordered plan.
A cut above
Issues: Group home; Black youth; Rights (Identity) A Black youth living in a rural group home with little access to public transit complained to us that staff would not drive him to get a haircut. Our staff suggested that he speak to his caseworker about the matter, and we followed up with the …
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A Black youth living in a rural group home with little access to public transit complained to us that staff would not drive him to get a haircut.
Left out in the cold
Issues: Group home; Police involvement; Disability The mother of a teenager with developmental disability complained to us about an incident involving her daughter at a group home, after the daughter left the home at midnight and was outside in the cold for more than 30 minutes before she was found …
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The mother of a teenager with developmental disability complained to us about an incident involving her daughter at a group home.
The right process
Issue: Children’s aid society A mother called our Children and Youth Unit after her local children’s aid society told her it would not review her complaint due to a lack of information. The agency had a policy that stated a complaint must first be filed with a caseworker, then a supervisor, before …
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A mother called our Children and Youth Unit after her local children’s aid society told her it would not review her complaint due to a lack of information.
On her own
Issues: Children’s aid society; Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA); Rights (Good care); Rights (Get help) A 16-year-old youth in care of a children’s aid society felt that her needs were not being met since she had a change in caseworkers. She told our Children and Youth staff she recently …
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A 16-year-old youth in care of a children’s aid society felt that her needs were not being met since she had a change in caseworkers.
Right to complain
Issues: Children’s aid society; Rights (Get help) When a woman complained to us about how she and her family were treated by a children’s aid society, we first advised her to contact her caseworker and raise the issue through the society’s internal process. She returned in frustration, saying the …
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When a woman complained to us about how she and her family were treated by a children’s aid society, we first advised her to contact her caseworker and raise the issue through the society’s internal process.
That's the place
Issues: Children’s aid society; Rights (Get help); Rights (Fairness) Unhappy with his placement at a foster home, a 17-year-old asked his children’s aid society caseworker for a placement change, only to be told the home he was staying in was best for him. Feeling unheard, the young person …
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Unhappy with his placement at a foster home, a 17-year-old asked his children’s aid society caseworker for a placement change, only to be told the home he was staying in was best for him.
Review askew
Issues: Children’s aid society; ; Group home; Rights (Safety); Rights (Get help) A 16-year-old girl living in a group home told us she had asked her children’s aid society worker to initiate a review of her placement because she felt unsafe, but the caseworker didn't follow up with her. We …
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A 16-year-old girl living in a group home told us she had asked her children’s aid society worker to initiate a review of her placement because she felt unsafe, but the caseworker didn't follow up with her.
On the hook
A woman who runs a commercial fishing business complained that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry had not responded to her request for a refund of more than $31,000 she had overpaid in Crown lease fees over several years. She also complained that she had been waiting since 2015 for the …
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A woman who runs a commercial fishing business complained that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry had not responded to her request for a refund of more than $31,000 she had overpaid in Crown lease fees over several years.
All’s well that ends well
After our staff assisted a Tesla owner in having his Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program application approved, he returned to us for help in February 2019, after he received only half of his $14,000 rebate. Ministry of Transportation officials acknowledged they had made an error and …
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After our staff assisted a Tesla owner in having his Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program application approved, he returned to us for help in February 2019, after he received only half of his $14,000 rebate.
Coverage confusion
Issues: Rights (Good care); Rights (Get help) A pregnant youth called us for help when she went for an ultrasound and was told her health card was cancelled. She thought her children's aid society worker had cancelled her health coverage. We determined that the card wasn't cancelled, but required …
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A pregnant youth called us for help when she went for an ultrasound and was told her health card was cancelled.
Staying connected
Issues: Children’s aid society; Group home; Rights (Fairness) A young person in a treatment group home called us, saying she felt like she had no one to talk to. We determined that she was connected to a children's aid society and a children's mental health agency, but she wasn't aware of either …
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A young person in a treatment group home called us, saying she felt like she had no one to talk to.
Moving on
Issues: Group home; Rights (Get help) A 15-year-old who had been in a group home for three years sought our help in moving into a foster home where he could become more independent. Our staff explained his right to a placement review through the Residential Placement Advisory Committee, which he …
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A 15-year-old who had been in a group home for three years sought our help in moving into a foster home where he could become more independent.
Month to month
A man sought our help with his local hydro company, which was sending him late notices and charging him interest on his quarterly water heater rental bill. He maintained he had been making monthly payments, but had been unable to resolve the matter through discussions with the company. Our staff …
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A man sought our help with his local hydro company, which was sending him late notices and charging him interest on his quarterly water heater rental bill.
Connection made
A woman was trying without success to have hydro reconnected at a rental property and was concerned about a delay and lack of communication from the local hydro company. As a result of our Office’s inquiries, the company contacted her and hydro at the property was reconnected. … Connection …
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A woman was trying without success to have hydro reconnected at a rental property and was concerned about a delay and lack of communication from the local hydro company.
Overbill overkill
A farmer was concerned about the high electricity bills he received for the first six months of 2014, even though his corn dryer – the machine on his farm using the highest amount of electricity – wasn’t in use. His bills were close to $9,000, including $843 in delivery charges on $112 worth of …
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A farmer was concerned about the high electricity bills he received for the first six months of 2014, even though his corn dryer – the machine on his farm using the highest amount of electricity – wasn’t in use. His bills were close to $9,000, including $843 in delivery charges on $112 worth of electricity.
Electrifying error
A woman was frustrated and confused by a dramatic increase in her electricity bills after her meter was changed in August 2013 – from $244 that July, to $403 in August, and up to $1,700 in January 2014. She said Hydro One was unable to provide her with an explanation for the increases, other than …
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A woman was frustrated and confused by a dramatic increase in her electricity bills after her meter was changed in August 2013 – from $244 that July, to $403 in August, and up to $1,700 in January 2014.
Wires crossed
We received complaints from four residents in one building who each received catch-up bills from their municipal hydro company for $2,000-5,000. The company told us it had discovered a wiring error in the building that caused bills to go to the wrong units. A metering company had investigated, and …
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We received complaints from four residents in one building who each received catch-up bills from their municipal hydro company for $2,000-5,000.
Powerful gesture
A man was upset that it took the Ontario Electricity Support Program six months to process his application, even though its website says it should take 6-8 weeks. Our inquiries determined that the delay was actually exacerbated by the man providing an outdated email address on his application; …
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A man was upset that it took the Ontario Electricity Support Program six months to process his application, even though its website says it should take 6-8 weeks.
In the Dark
Ombudsman RepORt André Marin, Ombudsman of Ontario • May 2015 Investigation into the transparency of Hydro One’s billing practices and the timeliness and effectiveness of its process for responding to customer concerns https://www.ombudsman.on.ca/Resources/Reports/In-the-Dark.aspx?lang=en-CA Find …
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Investigation into the transparency of Hydro One’s billing practices and the timeliness and effectiveness of its process for responding to customer concerns.
