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Direct education payment programs

Media release, "Ombudsman to investigate direct education payment programs" (December 11, 2023) Case Update (Annual Report 2023-2024) Investigation into the Ministry of Education’s direct payment programs for parents and students. Announced December 11, 2023. … Direct education payment …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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 2 Submission to the Ministry of Education regarding integrity commissioners and school board meetings April 2024 ` Overview The …
The Ministry of Education has requested comments on three regulatory proposals related to school board governance and accountability.

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.

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.

Wait for it

A woman who had been approved for a second payment of $10,000 from the Ontario Small Business Support Grant program, sought our help after months of waiting. She said program officials had told her just to wait. At our urging, they reviewed her case and said they would expedite her second payment – …
A woman who had been approved for a second payment of $10,000 from the Ontario Small Business Support Grant program, sought our help after months of waiting.

Going the extra mile

A mother complained to us that her child’s school bus route was far too long, averaging four hours per day. We spoke to the school board superintendent, who said a driver shortage was affecting the route, but the local transportation consortium was working to hire and train new drivers. The …
A mother complained to us that her child’s school bus route was far too long, averaging four hours per day.

Section connection

A Francophone student complained to us that his French-language high school couldn’t provide him with a “section 23” program, which is support provided through the ministries of Education and Children, Community and Social Services to students who cannot attend school due to identified social, …
A Francophone student complained to us that his French-language high school couldn’t provide him with a “section 23” program, which is support provided through the ministries of Education and Children, Community and Social Services to students who cannot attend school due to identified social, emotional, behavioural or mental health needs.

Sound the alarm

A vendor complained to us after attempting to bid on a school board’s fire alarm testing contract. The board initially provided information about the bidding process, but later told the vendor only pre-qualified organizations could submit proposals. The vendor said he would have gone through the …
A vendor complained to us after attempting to bid on a school board’s fire alarm testing contract.

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 …
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 …
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 …
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.

Submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy regarding Bill 98, Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023

Submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy regarding Bill 98, Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 Paul Dubé Ombudsman of Ontario May 2023 2 Submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy regarding Bill 98, Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 May 2023 …
The Ombudsman of Ontario is appointed under the Ombudsman Act as an independent and impartial Officer of the Ontario Legislature.