A woman seeking to renew her driver’s licence was given a temporary one, valid for three months, and told her new licence would be mailed in 6-8 weeks. When it did not arrive in the mail, she made several calls to inquire about it. Each time, she was told the matter would be looked into, but almost …
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A woman seeking to renew her driver’s licence was given a temporary one, valid for three months, and told her new licence would be mailed in 6-8 weeks.
Bugs in the system
An elderly woman contacted us after she was unable to get provincial officials to respond to her about a blocked highway culvert near her home that had become a mosquito breeding ground. Ombudsman staff contacted the Provincial Highway Management Branch, which committed to send someone to her …
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An elderly woman contacted us after she was unable to get provincial officials to respond to her about a blocked highway culvert near her home that had become a mosquito breeding ground.
On the road again
An Ontario man who had temporarily moved to B.C. was told upon his return that his motorcycle licence had been cancelled and he would have to go through the testing process again. He contacted our Office because he was not getting clear answers as to why his licence had been cancelled in the first …
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An Ontario man who had temporarily moved to B.C. was told upon his return that his motorcycle licence had been cancelled and he would have to go through the testing process again.
Deadline Driven
A driver who suffered what he believed to be a seizure in April 2013 was diagnosed by a neurologist and, as required by the Ministry of Transportation, had his licence suspended pending a medical review. On October 28, 2013, his doctor faxed documentation to the Ministry to prove that he had been …
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A driver who suffered what he believed to be a seizure in April 2013 was diagnosed by a neurologist and, as required by the Ministry of Transportation, had his licence suspended pending a medical review. On October 28, 2013, his doctor faxed documentation to the Ministry to prove that he had been seizure-free for six months, and thus eligible to have his licence reinstated.
Unfinished business
A man complained to our Office about the WSIB after he had not received an update on his compensation application for almost a year. When we contacted WSIB officials, they acknowledged that a decision letter prepared for the man eight months earlier had never been finalized. As a result of our …
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A man complained to our Office about the WSIB after he had not received an update on his compensation application for almost a year.
System error
After a 30-day suspension, a woman visited a ServiceOntario office and paid the $150 fee to have her licence reinstated. She received her permanent licence in the mail, but when she was involved in an accident a few months later, she was told her licence was not valid, costing her a $325 fine. Our …
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After a 30-day suspension, a woman visited a ServiceOntario office and paid the $150 fee to have her licence reinstated.
Signal co-ordination
After narrowly escaping being hit by an Ontario Northland Railway train near her home, a woman requested an automatic signal be installed to prevent future incidents. The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission agreed to install a signal if the municipality bore the cost, but the municipality …
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After narrowly escaping being hit by an Ontario Northland Railway train near her home, a woman requested an automatic signal be installed to prevent future incidents.
Bureaucratic brake
A senior complained that after he sent a medical report to the Ministry as required for his driver’s licence, he was told it could not be found and he would have to submit it again. In the interim, they suspended his licence, saying it would take four weeks for the form to be processed. Ombudsman …
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A senior complained that after he sent a medical report to the Ministry as required for his driver’s licence, he was told it could not be found and he would have to submit it again.
Privacy dependent
The widow of a man killed in a workplace accident complained to us that WSIB would not extend survivor benefits to her son, because it had no evidence that the worker, who was not the boy’s biological father, was his legal parent at the time of the accident. The decision letter also provided her no …
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The widow of a man killed in a workplace accident complained to us that WSIB would not extend survivor benefits to her son, because it had no evidence that the worker, who was not the boy’s biological father, was his legal parent at the time of the accident.
Photo finish
A man who needed a new driver’s licence for work complained to our Office that he could not get one because he didn’t have adequate photo identification. He had tried to use his Canadian citizenship card, but it was rejected at the DriveTest location where he applied because the photo on it was …
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A man who needed a new driver’s licence for work complained to our Office that he could not get one because he didn’t have adequate photo identification.
Cleared to drive
A driver who moved to Ontario from British Columbia complained to our office that his job was at risk because of an impaired driving conviction from 13 years earlier. Although his B.C. licence was valid, the Ministry would not licence him in Ontario unless he completed the “Back on Track” program …
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A driver who moved to Ontario from British Columbia complained to our office that his job was at risk because of an impaired driving conviction from 13 years earlier.
Advisor apology
A man contacted our Office in frustration after the WSIAT heard only one of several claims he had filed, when he was expecting to have them all heard at the same time. Our inquiries determined that the mixup was due to the Office of the Worker Advisor failing to complete the internal appeals …
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A man contacted our Office in frustration after the WSIAT heard only one of several claims he had filed, when he was expecting to have them all heard at the same time.
Non-emergency medical transportation services
Investigation into complaints about patient safety, infection control and other issues involving the vehicles that transport non-emergency patients, focusing on whether adequate measures are in place to protect the public. In June 2011, the ministries of Transportation and Health and Long-Term Care …
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Investigation into complaints about patient safety, infection control and other issues involving the vehicles that transport non-emergency patients, focusing on whether adequate measures are in place to protect the public.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Ombudsman Report • André Marin, Ombudsman of Ontario • April 2014 Investigation into how the Ministry of Transportation administers the process for obtaining and assessing information about drivers who may have uncontrolled hypoglycemia BetterSafe SorryThan …
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Investigation into how the Ministry of Transportation administers the process for obtaining and assessing information about drivers who may have uncontrolled hypoglycemia.