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. …
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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.
/en/our-work/case-stories/pricey-blunder
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 …
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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).
An international student at a college of applied arts and technology requested a tuition refund when he decided to leave his program and return home to India. The college told him he had missed its deadline to withdraw and receive a refund. He asked our Office for help, saying the financial …
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An international student at a college of applied arts and technology requested a tuition refund when he decided to leave his program and return home to India.
/en/our-work/case-stories/helpful-information
Fair trade
A student sought our help after his college told him he would have to retake a trade course he had already effectively completed, which would delay his graduation and the full-time employment he had arranged. His college had given him under 48 hours to accept an opportunity to complete additional …
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A student sought our help after his college told him he would have to retake a trade course he had already effectively completed, which would delay his graduation and the full-time employment he had arranged.
/en/our-work/case-stories/fair-trade
Course correction
A group of 50 students at a university reached out to our Office for help after they all failed the same course. The students, most of whom were international students, raised concerns about the instruction, grades and feedback they received from the university, and the financial consequences of …
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A group of 50 students at a university reached out to our Office for help after they all failed the same course.
/en/our-work/case-stories/course-correction
More fair, less taxing
A woman who could not pay her property taxes due to financial hardship sought our help after her municipality refused her request to cancel her debt. Instead, it took steps to sell her property. Her complaint raised several questions of fairness, including whether the municipality gave her adequate …
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A woman who could not pay her property taxes due to financial hardship sought our help after her municipality refused her request to cancel her debt.
/en/our-work/case-stories/more-fair-less-taxing
In the zone
A homeowner reached out to us when the land around her home was rezoned from agricultural to industrial. She was concerned that her municipality hadn’t engaged with residents before making the decision, and that proper environmental assessments were not done. RESULT: We reached out to municipal …
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A homeowner reached out to us when the land around her home was rezoned from agricultural to industrial.
/en/our-work/case-stories/zone
Municipal mine-field
We were contacted by the leaseholder of Crown land that included ski trails and a drainage system that had previously been installed by his municipality. He told us these were contrary to his lease agreement with the Ministry of Mines, which required all activities on the property to be related to …
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We were contacted by the leaseholder of Crown land that included ski trails and a drainage system that had previously been installed by his municipality.
/en/our-work/case-stories/municipal-mine-field
Stair-struck
A business owner complained to us after his municipality informed him that a set of stairs on the back of his building encroached on municipal property. He told us his family had operated a business in the building for 40 years before buying the land from the city in 2004 and had never been told …
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A business owner complained to us after his municipality informed him that a set of stairs on the back of his building encroached on municipal property.
/en/our-work/case-stories/stair-struck
Report as required
We received complaints from two inmates at the same facility, alleging they had been sexually assaulted. One inmate complained that they were sexually assaulted by another inmate, and the other complained that they were sexually assaulted by staff. When we inquired with facility staff, we found …
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We received complaints from two inmates at the same facility, alleging they had been sexually assaulted.
/en/our-work/case-stories/report-required
Privacy protections
We received complaints from a group of 10 inmates, all women, that they were strip searched by correctional officers in their unit, in view of one another. We flagged this case to senior staff at the facility. RESULT: After our intervention, the facility purchased privacy screens to prevent similar …
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We received complaints from a group of 10 inmates, all women, that they were strip searched by correctional officers in their unit, in view of one another.
/en/our-work/case-stories/privacy-protections
Mistaken identity
A transgender inmate contacted our Office after she was involved in an altercation with correctional officers. When we made inquiries, we learned that the facility’s computer system had not been updated with the correct information regarding the inmate’s gender identity, even though she had …
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A transgender inmate contacted our Office after she was involved in an altercation with correctional officers.
/en/our-work/case-stories/mistaken-identity
Telephone tag
A Francophone in Eastern Ontario reached out to tell us about her experience as a witness to a situation while camping. She had wanted the police to intervene because it appeared as if a few individuals were harassing some senior citizens, so she contacted the local OPP detachment and 911. She told …
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A Francophone in Eastern Ontario reached out to tell us about her experience as a witness to a situation while camping.
/en/our-work/case-stories/telephone-tag
Understanding the bill
A Francophone woman who was in a car crash in the Ottawa region received a bill from the Ministry of Transportation’s Highway Incident Claims Unit. She called and asked to speak to a bilingual employee, but was unable to receive services in French. In response to our inquiry, the Unit told us that …
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A Francophone woman who was in a car crash in the Ottawa region received a bill from the Ministry of Transportation’s Highway Incident Claims Unit.
/en/our-work/case-stories/understanding-bill
Continuity at work
While at work, a Francophone man noticed that the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) had published a notice on its website in English only about a proceeding. The OLRB confirmed to us that the missing French notice was an error. They said there had been a delay in posting the French version, as …
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While at work, a Francophone man noticed that the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) had published a notice on its website in English only about a proceeding.
/en/our-work/case-stories/continuity-work
A true active offer
A man went to a ServiceOntario branch in central west Toronto to get an accent added to his first name on his health card. He asked for service in French, but the branch told him that no bilingual agents were available at the moment. He also noticed that several posters were in English only. The …
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A man went to a ServiceOntario branch in central west Toronto to get an accent added to his first name on his health card.
/en/our-work/case-stories/true-active-offer
Unavailable in French
A Francophone woman received a construction notice in English only from Metrolinx, which had been mailed to tenants of a residential building in Toronto. Under the English text it said “ disponible en français ” (“available in French”). The notice was about trees in the woman’s neighbourhood that …
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A Francophone woman received a construction notice in English only from Metrolinx, which had been mailed to tenants of a residential building in Toronto.
/en/our-work/case-stories/unavailable-french
Understanding the assessment
A Francophone man required services from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) after he was injured at work. He needed a full medical examination (physical and psychological). The WSIB referred him to an English-only medical clinic and said he could use interpreters for his examination. …
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A Francophone man required services from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) after he was injured at work.
A blind Francophone man complained to us after a designated community health centre in Northern Ontario sent him confidential, encrypted documents regarding his health in English only. Since he couldn’t open these documents by himself, he had to ask someone else for help, disclosing his personal …
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A blind Francophone man complained to us after a designated community health centre in Northern Ontario sent him confidential, encrypted documents regarding his health in English only.
/en/our-work/case-stories/double-encryption
When in doubt, ask
A Francophone told us about her partner’s experience after undergoing heart surgery in a partially designated hospital. Her partner received follow-up calls in English from the surgeon, nurses and physical therapist, even though he had asked to receive care in French. We raised these issues with …
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A Francophone told us about her partner’s experience after undergoing heart surgery in a partially designated hospital.
