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Commissioner's Message - Taking Care of Ontario's Linguistic Health This is the second Annual Report of the French Language Services Commissioner presented by the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario. As we look back on the past year, we are more motivated than ever by the opportunity we have, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to find effective solutions to the challenges we confront.

A mother complained to our Office that her son’s school didn’t notify the local children’s aid society (CAS) about allegations he made to his teacher that his grandmother had hurt him.

A woman told us that she wanted to get physiotherapy care for her father.

A 14-year-old in care told us her worker was insisting that she go to school in person, even though her preference was to continue to attend school online.

A Francophone woman complained to us that a dermatology clinic at an eastern Ontario hospital did not provide services in French when she booked her appointment on the phone, at reception or during the medical examination.

The French Language Services Unit has received several complaints about the Amber alert system.

A youth revealed to us that her concerns about being physically restrained at her group home were not being heard.

Our Office checked on a youth after we heard she was hurt when her group home staff physically restrained her self-injurious behaviour.

Our staff reached out to a youth after we learned that he had his arm broken while being restrained by staff at his group home.

Our Office made inquiries when we learned that a children’s aid society (CAS) asked the police to bring back a youth who had left her foster home without permission to return to her family home.

A whistleblower came to us with several disturbing allegations about a group home serving children and youth who are medically fragile or have other vulnerabilities.

A woman who had been granted full custody of her niece – with the support of a children’s aid society (CAS) – contacted us after waiting four months for a certified copy of the original court order, which she needed in order to apply for a health card and other important items for the girl.

A Francophone education professional complained to us about the inadequate quality of French on some of the forms for the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), a school-to-work transition program offered in high schools across the province.

After a youth living in a treatment home complained that his request for a service dog was refused, we followed up with his CAS worker.

A 13-year-old in a group home complained that staff were forcing him to talk to them and share his feelings, rather than respecting his privacy.

A Black 16-year-old complained that her CAS worker was dismissive of her requests for hair and skin products that met her cultural needs, making her feel like she was being treated differently because of her race.

A Francophone student seeking information about scholarships via the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) contacted us when he discovered there was no option to select services in French in the automated phone system of the OSAP department he called.

A woman sought our help after her two foster children disclosed to her that their former foster parent had been physically and verbally abusive toward them.

A woman returning from an overseas trip complained to us that she was not served in French during the COVID-19 test she was required to undergo at Toronto Pearson airport.

Our French Language Services Unit received many individual complaints from landlords and tenants who had difficulty receiving services in French from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).