Issues: Children’s aid society; Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA) Three months after he turned 18, a young man told us he had been forced to rely on social assistance because he had never been registered for “Ready, Set, Go” funding, which supports young people transitioning out of care. He …
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Three months after he turned 18, a young man told us he had been forced to rely on social assistance because he had never been registered for “Ready, Set, Go” funding, which supports young people transitioning out of care.
Routine violation
Issues: Youth justice facility; Rights (Safety) A young person in a youth justice centre complained to us that he was being routinely strip-searched by staff after every visit he had with his lawyer. He told us he raised his concern with the facility, but staff maintained that all youth justice …
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A young person in a youth justice centre complained to us that he was being routinely strip-searched by staff after every visit he had with his lawyer.
Group revelation
Issues: Children’s aid society; Group home; Quality of care; Rights (Good care) After giving a presentation at a group home, our staff were conducting private conversations with the residents, as we normally do. Several of these young people raised serious concerns about access to food and …
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After giving a presentation at a group home, our staff were conducting private conversations with the residents, as we normally do.
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 …
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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 …
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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. …
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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.
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).
Helpful information
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2023-2024 Annual Report
O N TA R I O ’ S WATC H D O G O N T A R I O Annual Report 2023-2024 O N TA R I O ’ S WATC H D O G O N T A R I O ISSN 1708-0851 Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario We are dedicated to being an effective agent of positive change for the people of Ontario. We do this by standing for the rights and …
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Ombudsman's Message - Focusing on rights – and the future: It is an honour to present my ninth Annual Report as Ombudsman as this Office prepares to mark its 49th anniversary. The time is ripe for both reflection and forward thinking – and this report, fittingly, does both.
Submission regarding Proposed Policy Directive Updates for Children's Aid Societies
Submission to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services regarding Proposed Policy Directive Updates to Clarify Data Collection and Reporting Requirements for Children's Aid Societies Respecting the New Youth Leaving Care Policy and “Ready, Set, Go” Program Paul Dubé Ombudsman of …
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The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has requested comments on a regulatory proposal related to amendments to Policy Directive: CW 003-23 — Preparing Youth for Successful Transition from the Care of Children’s Aid Societies.
Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit (SMART) - September 23, 2024
Ombudsman Report Investigation into a complaint about a meeting held by the Board of Directors for Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit Paul Dubé Ombudsman of Ontario September 2024 Investigation into a meeting held by Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit September 2024 1 Complaint 1 My Office …
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The Ombudsman received a complaint that the Board of Directors for Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit (SMART) does not hold meetings that are open to the public. The Ombudsman found that SMART is a shared local board of 10 member municipalities that is subject to the open meeting rules in the Municipal Act, 2001.
