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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 …

Adults with developmental disabilities inappropriately housed in hospitals

Media release, "Ombudsman to investigate cases of people with developmental disabilities who are inappropriately housed in hospitals " (March 27, 2023)   Case Update (Annual Report 2023-2024) Case Update (Annual Report 2022-2023) Investigation into the plight of adults with developmental …

Suitable support

A father in crisis sought our help to find services and supported living for his son, a 15-year-old with complex special needs. He told us his son was prone to violence and had been taken to hospital by police on several occasions. RESULT: We spoke with the involved agencies and Ministry staff to …
A father in crisis sought our help to find services and supported living for his son, a 15-year-old with complex special needs.

Appeal to reason

A woman had her ODSP application denied after a year of waiting. Her daughter then submitted documents multiple times for an appeal of the decision, but was told the appeal wasn’t processed because she didn’t include specific information in the body of her email. When she sent yet another email …
A woman had her ODSP application denied after a year of waiting.

Pricey blunder

A woman sought our help because she hadn’t received Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) payments or drug benefits from August 2020 to October 2021. RESULT: After our intervention, the manager reviewing the file discovered the woman’s caseworker had made a mistake in calculating her benefits. …
A woman sought our help because she hadn’t received Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) payments or drug benefits from August 2020 to October 2021.

Long-distance resolution

A woman who had been living outside of Canada for 15 years sought our help in obtaining more than $25,000 in child support through the Family Responsibility Office (FRO). When she left Ontario, she had asked the FRO to hold the payments for her as they accumulated, as it was easier for her to cash …
A woman who had been living outside of Canada for 15 years sought our help in obtaining more than $25,000 in child support through the Family Responsibility Office (FRO).

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.

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.

Funding frustration

The mother of an 11-year-old with autism and developmental disabilities contacted us when she wasn’t able to access funding under the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) or the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities program (ACSD), even though she believed her child was eligible for both. When …
The mother of an 11-year-old with autism and developmental disabilities contacted us when she wasn’t able to access funding under the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) or the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities program (ACSD), even though she believed her child was eligible for both.

Suspended payment

A woman was owed thousands of dollars in support payments by a former spouse who was living in British Columbia. She told us she was concerned that the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Unit of the Family Responsibility Office (FRO), which handles interprovincial cases, was not enforcing a court …
A woman was owed thousands of dollars in support payments by a former spouse who was living in British Columbia.

Seal of disapproval

A man who pays family support through the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) complained to us that the FRO was garnishing too much from his federal disability payments, leaving him unable to pay his rent. We raised the case with FRO staff, noting that a recent court order set out how much it could …
A man who pays family support through the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) complained to us that the FRO was garnishing too much from his federal disability payments, leaving him unable to pay his rent.

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.

Submission to the Ministry of Education’s consultation regarding school board governance

Submission to the Ministry of Education’s consultation regarding school board governance Paul Dubé Ombudsman of Ontario October 2021 2 Submission to Ministry of Education consultation on school board governance October 2021 Introduction: The Ombudsman’s role in improving school board governance The …
The Ontario Ombudsman oversees the administrative conduct of more than 1,000 public sector organizations, including the province’s 72 school boards and 10 school authorities, as well as provincial and demonstration schools.

Post-mortem refund

A man who had continued to make regular family support payments to his former mother-in-law, who had cared for his now-adult daughter, complained to us after he learned the older woman had been dead for more than a year. He alerted the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) – which had administered the …
A man who had continued to make regular family support payments to his former mother-in-law, who had cared for his now-adult daughter, complained to us after he learned the older woman had been dead for more than a year.

Voicemail jail

An Ontario Works (OW) recipient urgently needed help when her benefits were suspended because she submitted some paperwork late. She had been in and out of hospital, and needed drug coverage to continue her medical treatments, but could not reach her OW caseworker. When we contacted OW staff, we …
An Ontario Works (OW) recipient urgently needed help when her benefits were suspended because she submitted some paperwork late.

Breaking the bank

A woman who was owed more than $10,000 in support payments from her ex-husband complained to us that she had provided documents to the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) proving that he had the money in a bank account, but the FRO would not take action. Our inquiries determined that the man’s money …
A woman who was owed more than $10,000 in support payments from her ex-husband complained to us that she had provided documents to the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) proving that he had the money in a bank account, but the FRO would not take action.

Found money

A mother had been waiting for months to access support funding to assist with her nine-year-old son’s developmental mental health conditions. She was concerned that his behaviour was escalating and putting himself and others at risk. After we contacted officials at the Ministry of Children, …
A mother had been waiting for months to access support funding to assist with her nine-year-old son’s developmental mental health conditions.

Power arrangers

A woman who was behind on her hydro bills asked Ontario Works (OW) for help to avoid getting disconnected. The agency granted the request, but accidentally transferred an extra $1,600 to the utility, which added it to the woman’s account. She assumed it was additional COVID-19 support, as OW had …
A woman who was behind on her hydro bills asked Ontario Works (OW) for help to avoid getting disconnected.