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Direct education payment programs

Media release, "Ombudsman to investigate direct education payment programs" (December 11, 2023) Investigation into the Ministry of Education’s direct payment programs for parents and students. Announced December 11, 2023. Case update (2024-2025 Annual Report) Case update (2023-2024 Annual Report) … …
/en/our-work/investigations/ongoing-investigations/direct-education-payment-programs

Cost of ownership

A woman contacted us for help in correcting the ownership information for her deceased parents’ house, which had been in the family for close to 50 years but had mistakenly been left in the previous owner’s name at the time they bought it. The error in the land registry documents resulted in the …
A woman contacted us for help in correcting the ownership information for her deceased parents’ house, which had been in the family for close to 50 years but had mistakenly been left in the previous owner’s name at the time they bought it.
/en/our-work/case-stories/cost-ownership

Service connection

The family of a client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) told us they were alarmed to hear from their relative’s cellphone provider that their bills – which the OPGT is supposed to pay on the client’s behalf – had not been paid in several months. The family paid the arrears to …
The family of a client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) told us they were alarmed to hear from their relative’s cellphone provider that their bills – which the OPGT is supposed to pay on the client’s behalf – had not been paid in several months.
/en/our-work/case-stories/service-connection

Misrouted rent

A landlord came to us for help after her tenant finally paid her overdue rent directly to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) – and the money was sent to the previous owner of the building instead. Result: After we stepped in, the LTB agreed to pay the landlord the overdue rent while it recouped …
A landlord came to us for help after her tenant finally paid her overdue rent directly to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) – and the money was sent to the previous owner of the building instead.
/en/our-work/case-stories/misrouted-rent

Pending licence

A financial advisor who had paid the fee to renew his licence with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) complained to us after waiting more than two months for a confirmation from them. He told us he was frustrated because without his licence, he could not continue to serve …
A financial advisor who had paid the fee to renew his licence with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) complained to us after waiting more than two months for a confirmation from them.
/en/our-work/case-stories/pending-licence

Respectfully reviewed

A Métis man sought our help after he was cut off from Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) assistance two weeks after getting approved for it, because his employer offered him the opportunity to take on lighter work. He told us that he felt that his Métis status was being ignored by WSIB …
A Métis man sought our help after he was cut off from Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) assistance two weeks after getting approved for it, because his employer offered him the opportunity to take on lighter work.
/en/our-work/case-stories/respectfully-reviewed

Trade trouble

An electrician whose work experience was from outside Canada was frustrated by the length of time Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) was taking to process his application to become a certified construction and maintenance electrician. He told us it wasn’t clear what documentation he had to submit to …
An electrician whose work experience was from outside Canada was frustrated by the length of time Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) was taking to process his application to become a certified construction and maintenance electrician.
/en/our-work/case-stories/trade-trouble

Translation error

A paralegal for an employer complained to us that a decision by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) on the case of a worker from Quebec who was injured in Ontario took almost a year to process because of translation delays. She said many of the documents in the case were in French and …
A paralegal for an employer complained to us that a decision by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) on the case of a worker from Quebec who was injured in Ontario took almost a year to process because of translation delays.
/en/our-work/case-stories/translation-error

Without consent

A First Nations grandparent complained to us after a school board used medicated lice shampoo on one grandchild and attempted to use it on another, both times without consent. The grandparent likened this action to past treatment of Indigenous students in residential schools. Result: The family …
A First Nations grandparent complained to us after a school board used medicated lice shampoo on one grandchild and attempted to use it on another, both times without consent.
/en/our-work/case-stories/without-consent

First Nations HST rebate program

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 …
We received complaints from members of First Nations about delayed reimbursements under the Ontario First Nations HST rebate program.
/en/our-work/case-stories/first-nations-hst-rebate-program

Stress reducer

A man lost his house when his Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits were cut off. Although this decision was eventually reversed and his benefits were reinstated through the WSIB, he was diagnosed in the meantime with severe depression. He told our Office he was having difficulty …
A man lost his house when his Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits were cut off.
/en/our-work/case-stories/stress-reducer

Bridging the gap

A man sought our help in obtaining his Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification through the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. He said the Ministry refused to recognize his training because there was a 14-year gap between his completion of the first and second …
A man sought our help in obtaining his Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification through the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
/en/our-work/case-stories/bridging-gap

Proof of skills

A man had been waiting to receive a new wallet card from Skilled Trades Ontario – proof of his skilled trade credentials – for more than a year. He told our Office he received conflicting information about the reasons for the delay. RESULT: After we raised the case with Skilled Trades Ontario …
A man had been waiting to receive a new wallet card from Skilled Trades Ontario – proof of his skilled trade credentials – for more than a year.
/en/our-work/case-stories/proof-skills

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 …
A woman called us for help on the morning that she, her partner and three children were being evicted.
/en/our-work/case-stories/surprise-eviction

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 …
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).
/en/our-work/case-stories/lack-urgency

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 …
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.
/en/our-work/case-stories/friendly-assistance

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 …
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.
/en/our-work/case-stories/post-mortem-review

Submission to the Ministry of Education regarding integrity commissioners and meeting procedures for school board trustees

Submission to the Ministry of Education regarding integrity commissioners and meeting procedures for school board trustees Paul Dubé Ombudsman of Ontario April 2024 Overview The Ministry of Education has requested comments on three regulatory proposals related to school board governance and …
The Ministry of Education has requested comments on three regulatory proposals related to school board governance and accountability.
/en/our-work/submissions-government/submission-ministry-education-regarding-integrity-commissioners-and-meeting-procedures-school-board

Dues blues

A Francophone man in Quebec had been told he still owed dues for his trade licence, dating back to when he lived in Ontario a decade ago. He couldn’t understand what was owing, or why, and he had trouble getting information in French. We intervened on two fronts: We connected with supervisors at …
A Francophone man in Quebec had been told he still owed dues for his trade licence, dating back to when he lived in Ontario a decade ago.
/en/our-work/case-stories/dues-blues

Expense suspense

An injured worker had been approved by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to see a doctor some distance from his home. He tried to claim travel and meal expenses from the WSIB, but both were denied. He appealed the decision, but only his travel expenses were approved – and he had to …
An injured worker had been approved by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to see a doctor some distance from his home.
/en/our-work/case-stories/expense-suspense