2018-2019 Annual Report” (Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
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ONTA RIO ONTARIO’S WATCHDOG 2 018 | 2 019 ONTA RIO ONTARIO’S WATCHDOG Annual Report @Ont_Ombudsman Ontario Ombudsman OntarioOmbudsman ONTA RIO ONTARIO’S WATCHDOG u ONTA RIO On the cover: ONTARIO’S WATCHDOG The icons represent the many 2 018 | 2 019 Annual Report areas of the public sector where 2 018 | 2 019 we helped Ontarians in 2018-2019 Annual Report (Social Services, Law & Order, Education, Municipalities, etc.), and the two new areas added to our jurisdiction as we “turn the page” into 2019-2020: Children & Youth, and French Language Services. Offce of the Ombudsman of Ontario 483 Bay Street 10th Floor, South Tower Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C9 Telephone: 416-586-3300 Complaints line: 1-800-263-1830 Fax: 416-586-3485 TTY: 1-866-411-4211 Website: www.ombudsman.on.ca @Ont_Ombudsman Ontario Ombudsman OntarioOmbudsman 2 018 | 2 019 ISSN 1708-0851 ONTA RIO ONTARIO’S WATCHDOG ONTARIO ONTARIO’S WATCHDOG June 2019 Hon. Ted Arnott, Speaker Legislative Assembly Province of Ontario Queen’s Park Dear Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit my Annual Report for the period of April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, pursuant to section 11 of the Ombudsman Act, so that you may table it before the Legislative Assembly. Sincerely, Paul Dubé, Ombudsman Offce of the Ombudsman of Ontario 483 Bay Street 10th Floor, South Tower Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C9 Telephone: 416-586-3300 Complaints line: 1-800-263-1830 Website: www.ombudsman.on.ca 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT • OFFICE OOFF THE OMBUDSMAN OOFF ONTARIONTARIOO 1 2 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT • OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN OF ONTARIO Table of contents OMBUDSMAN’S MESSAGE .............................................................................................................. 5 ABOUT OUR OFFICE..................................................................................................................... 10 WHAT IS AN OMBUDSMAN? ...................................................................................................................................................10 WHO WE ARE............................................................................................................................................................................12 VALUES, MISSION AND VISION ...............................................................................................................................................13 WHAT WE DO ............................................................................................................................................................................14 HOW WE WORK .......................................................................................................................................................................15 ABOUT THIS REPORT ................................................................................................................... 16 2018-2019 HIGHLIGHTS .............................................................................................................. 18 Year in review • cases bY topic ........................................................................................... 20 LAW & ORDER ..........................................................................................................................................................................20 SOCIAL SERVICES .....................................................................................................................................................................27 MONEY & PROPERTY ...............................................................................................................................................................33 MUNICIPALITIES ........................................................................................................................................................................37 EDUCATION ...............................................................................................................................................................................47 TRANSPORTATION ....................................................................................................................................................................54 HEALTH ......................................................................................................................................................................................58 CERTIFICATES & PERMITS .......................................................................................................................................................61 EMPLOYMENT ..........................................................................................................................................................................63 ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................................................................................65 appendix • case statistics .................................................................................................... 68 TOTAL CASES RECEIVED, FISCAL YEARS 2014-2015 - 2018-2019 .......................................................................................68 HOW CASES WERE RECEIVED, 2018-2019 ............................................................................................................................68 DISPOSITION OF CASES, 2018-2019 .......................................................................................................................................69 CASES BY PROVINCIAL RIDING, 2018-2019 ...........................................................................................................................70 TOP 10 PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS BY CASE VOLUME, 2018-2019 .....................71 TOP 10 CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES BY CASE VOLUME, 2018-2019 ...................................................................................71 TOTAL CASES RECEIVED FOR PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES AND SELECTED PROGRAMS, 2018-2019 ....72 CASES RECEIVED ABOUT MUNICIPALITIES, 2018-2019 .......................................................................................................74 CASES RECEIVED ABOUT SCHOOL BOARDS, 2018-2019 ....................................................................................................78 CASES RECEIVED ABOUT COLLEGES OF APPLIED ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY, 2018-2019 ..............................................79 CASES RECEIVED ABOUT UNIVERSITIES, 2018-2019 ...........................................................................................................79 CASES RECEIVED ABOUT CLOSED MUNICIPAL MEETINGS, 2018-2019 ............................................................................80 FINANCIAL SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................................................80 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT • OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN OF ONTARIO 3 4 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT • OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN OF ONTARIO Ombudsman’s message June 27, 2018: Ombudsman Paul Dubé at a news conference at Queen’s Park. stakeholders and bolster our staff and separate locations, this required closely A defning their expertise in these new areas – reviewing all three offces’ legislated moment all while continuing our core work of mandates and organizational structure, overseeing provincial administration. and proposing a new budget to the Legislative Assembly to ensure we had In many ways, this past year has Then, in November 2018, we learned adequate funds to carry out our added been a defning one for the Offce of that the scope of our mandate would responsibilities in the most effective and the Ombudsman of Ontario. Without grow again, under new legislation effcient way possible. question, fscal 2018-2019 was one of transferring the responsibilities of the the busiest years in this Offce’s 44-year French Language Services Commissioner As fscal 2019-2020 began and we history in terms of complaints handled – to our Offce, as well as the investigative prepared for the transition to take 27,419, representing an increase of function of the Provincial Advocate for effect on May 1, we had established a almost 30% over the previous year. It Children and Youth. framework to ensure that service to the was also historic in terms of our mandate, public would continue uninterrupted, with Although these changes presented us which was expanded by government for work on ongoing cases, investigations with the opportunity and duty to help the second time in four years. and issues continuing under two new more Ontarians than ever before, the units within our Offce. Our revised When I began my term as Ombudsman blending of these two other organizations organizational structure (included in in 2016, our jurisdiction had just been into ours presented signifcant challenges this report and posted in detail online) effectively doubled, as municipalities, – even for an offce experienced in illustrates how our new dedicated units universities and school boards were navigating bureaucracy. for French Language Services and added to the more than 500 provincial Along with the numerous logistical Children and Youth will operate, utilizing bodies already within our mandate. The matters involved in co-ordinating three the expertise of investigators and other past three years have involved intensive different bargaining units at several specialists from those former offces. work to build relationships