Help for Indigenous people

At Ombudsman Ontario, we help everyone with concerns about Ontario public services.

If you are Indigenous, we will make sure your rights and cultural safety are respected.

What you should know

We are:

  • Independent – not part of the government
  • Confidential – we will protect your privacy
  • Free – there is no fee for our services
  • Impartial – we don’t take sides, we promote fairness


We can help you if:

  • You feel you were treated unfairly
  • You have questions or concerns about public services in Ontario


You can expect us to:

  • Listen respectfully to your story and ask some questions
  • Accommodate an Elder or support person if you want to have them with you
  • Protect your privacy
  • Make inquiries with the government service to determine if they were fair to you
  • Deal with your issue as quickly as possible
  • Connect you with someone who can help, if we can’t

Indigenous Services Plan

Our Indigenous Services Plan, launched in March 2026, reflects our commitment to advancing reconciliation in a meaningful way, by improving our services to Indigenous Peoples and using our voice and expertise to ensure public services respect their rights.

This plan stems from our ongoing engagements with Indigenous Peoples across Ontario, listening to their concerns and experiences. It is a living, evolving document aimed at strengthening our relationships with Indigenous communities and our understanding of Indigenous rights and perspectives. 

To develop this plan, we worked with Tawi:ne Consulting Inc., a First Nation woman-owned and operated firm, and engaged more than 100 Indigenous participants across Ontario in shaping its core commitments.

Our five core commitments in this plan are that we will:

  1. Prioritize continuous learning and the expansion of Indigenous cultural competencies across our personnel. 
  2. Build reciprocal relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals, governments, communities and organizations. 
  3. Enhance our service accessibility and experience for Indigenous Peoples.
  4. Contribute our voice and expertise to addressing systemic issues in support of reconciliation.
  5. Measure the impact of the plan and report on our progress in implementing it.

Learn about our services for Indigenous people

 

Find out about:

How we can help you

Do you have a problem with a government or public service in Ontario? We’re here to help. Use the “Make a complaint” button to tell us what you need.

Make a complaint


For example, you can complain to us about things like:

  • Birth certificates, health cards, driver’s licences (ServiceOntario)
  • Family well-being agencies or children’s aid societies
  • Fishing and hunting permit issues
  • Jails, detention centres or youth justice centres
  • Landlord and Tenant Board
  • School boards, colleges and universities
  • Social benefits (Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program)

Need to know more?

Read our brochures in:

Indigenous-Communities-Brochure-English Indigenous-Communities-Brochure-Ojibwe Indigenous-Communities-Brochure-Cree Indigenous-Communities-Brochure-Mohawk Indigenous-Communities-Brochure-Oji-Cree

Results and positive change

Here are some examples of ways we have helped improve public services for Indigenous people and communities:

Sign depicting a medicine wheel and "Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek" written around it.

Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation)

The Ombudsman and staff met with community members and leaders. During this visit, the Ombudsman was told there had been a delay in Hydro One installing the poles to bring electricity to these homes, and there appeared to be a communication breakdown between the community and Hydro One.

Older Indigenous couple sitting next to each other looking at the camera

Family care

We stepped in to help an Indigenous man who was struggling to care for the newborn child of relatives suffering from addiction. No paperwork had been done to secure funding for necessary medication, foster care and other resources.

Young person with hoodie

First Nations birth certificates

We helped a First Nations community experiencing administrative barriers to obtaining birth certificates, which are generally required for people to access government services and programs. We were told that these barriers included an online registration process that was sometimes difficult to access for those without reliable Internet service, and the wording of instructions on forms.

Commitment to reconciliation

We acknowledge that we have much work to do to progress our commitment to reconciliation. We are committed to building respectful relationships with First Nation, Inuit and Métis people in Ontario, through trust and transparency, in order to provide services for a better shared future.

The Ombudsman seeks to engage with the Indigenous peoples recognized under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and raise awareness of all aspects of Ombudsman Ontario’s work.

From the complaints and concerns we handle, the Ombudsman can identify emerging issues and propose changes to improve the relationship between Indigenous people and Ontario public sector agencies, and ensure Indigenous peoples’ equal access to opportunities within those agencies.

In addition to helping Indigenous individuals, the Ombudsman aspires to assist in informing nation-to-nation and government-to-government discussions.

As part of this commitment, we will:

  • Respect and affirm the rich culture and history of Indigenous peoples in all that we do
  • Seek to be an effective agent of change in addressing the systemic issues we uncover
  • Provide educational opportunities for our staff to help them learn more about Canada's history and the harms that have been inflicted on Indigenous peoples
  • Continue to integrate The Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Calls to Justice from National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls into our work.

Connecting with you

Acknowledgement of territory

Ombudsman Ontario acknowledges that the lands we work on are the traditional territories of more than 130 First Nations, each with distinct cultures, languages, and histories that long predate the establishment of the province of Ontario. These lands are also home to longstanding political confederacies, such as the Three Fires Confederacy and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, whose treaties and relationships shape the dynamic history of this province.

We recognize the more than 40 treaties in Ontario, including but not limited to Treaty 3, Treaty 9, the Robinson Superior and Huron Treaties, and the Williams Treaties. These agreements – sacred commitments between Indigenous Nations and the Crown – continue to carry legal and moral responsibilities. We acknowledge that Indigenous peoples who have stewarded these lands for millennia have been subjected to dispossession and colonial injustices, and we remain committed to supporting efforts to address both historic and ongoing harms.

Since the inception of the Office of the Ombudsman, we have had the privilege of engaging with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across Ontario. We are grateful for these relationships and recognize that trust must be continuously earned through meaningful action.

Ombudsman Ontario is committed to fostering respectful and transparent relationships with Indigenous communities. Through ongoing dialogue, accountability, and service, we strive to contribute to reconciliation and a more just and equitable future for all.