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Ombudsman Ontario Home

Ombudsman Ontario

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  1. Make a complaint
  2. What we can help you with
  3. Law and order

Law and order

We can help you with concerns about law and order in Ontario, including:

  • Police oversight and training
  • Correctional services (jails and detention centres)
  • Youth justice centres
  • Tribunals and court services

We work to make sure the rights of people who come in contact with police or Ontario’s correctional system are respected, and that people dealing with tribunals have access to justice.

Although we cannot take complaints about most police conduct, judges or courts (see below), there are many ways we can help. Our services are confidential and free.

For example, we can help with:

  • Delays in hearings or decisions by administrative tribunals (like the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Social Benefits Tribunal or the Landlord and Tenant Board)
  • Legal aid
  • Complaints about Ontario correctional facilities
  • Parole and probation issues

 

You can complain to us about organizations like:

  • Ministry of the Attorney General
  • Ministry of the Solicitor General
  • Office of the Chief Coroner
  • Tribunals Ontario (or any of its administrative tribunals)
  • All Ontario correctional facilities
  • Ontario Parole Board
  • Legal Aid Ontario
  • Office of the Chief Coroner
  • Office of the Children’s Lawyer
  • Ontario Provincial Police
  • Police oversight bodies (Special Investigations Unit, Inspectorate of Policing, Law Enforcement Complaints Agency)  

Make a complaint


There are some things we can’t do. We can’t take complaints about:

  • Decisions of the courts or judges
  • Lawyers
  • Municipal and First Nations police services
  • Police service boards or OPP detachment boards  

If we can’t help, we’ll tell you who can.


Still have questions?

  • See the full list of organizations you can complain about
  • Read our Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact us with your questions

How we’ve helped

Discover how our team has helped people deal with their concerns about policing, corrections or justice issues in Ontario:

More examples of case stories
 Pair of sage bundles

Traditional medicines

An Indigenous inmate told us he had not been able to smudge regularly at his facility, and he wasn’t allowed traditional medicines such as cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco.

 Man sitting in front of laptop at office

Email retrieved

A man contacted us in frustration after his application to have his issue heard by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) was dismissed.

Tombstone with pink flowers resting on it

Added grief

A woman whose common-law spouse had died while they were living in a homeless shelter complained to us that the Chief Coroner’s Office had buried him even though she had requested to claim the body.

See more examples of ways we’ve helped in this sector.

Ready to make a complaint?

Start here

Learn more about our work in this area

  • Law and order trends and cases (2023-2024 Annual Report)
  • Investigations

The Ontario Ombudsman’s work takes place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province we now call Ontario, and we are thankful to be able to work and live on this land. 

Ombudsman Ontario Home

Ombudsman Ontario

483 Bay Street
10th floor, South Tower
Toronto, ON M5G 2C9

Toll-free (Ontario only): 1-800-263-1830
Outside Ontario: 416-586-3300
info@ombudsman.on.ca

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