The term Ombudsman comes from the Swedish language, meaning “protector of the people”. The Ombudsman promotes and protects fairness by investigating complaints about public services (authorities) and providing recommendations and resources to public organizations so they can deliver services more fairly. The Ombudsman neither advocates for the complainant nor defends the authority. 

• Yukon government departments
• Yukon University and its board of governors
• crown corporations and independent authorities or boards
• public schools
• hospitals and their boards of management
• professional and occupational governing bodies

We can only investigate municipalities and Yukon First Nations at their request.

The Ombudsman supports both the public and the public organizations it oversees. If an individual feels that a public organization, referred to as an authority, has been unfair and is unable to resolve the matter, they can come to our office for advice. Our Informal Case Resolution team will determine whether their concern is within our jurisdiction and if so, guide them on submitting a complaint. The complaint may be investigated informally or as part of a more formal investigation. Identifying and resolving problems benefits the person who brings the complaint forward, others in the same situation, the authority, and all citizens and visitors of the Yukon.

The Ombudsman supports authorities by providing fairness resources and recommendations. We support authorities with online resources and providing advice and presentations on how they can better serve the public. We also provide recommendations following an investigation to help resolve the current matter and improve their service delivery for future clients.

Many concerns fall outside of the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. The Ombudsman cannot investigate:

• disputes between individuals;
• complaints about the federal government, the RCMP, the courts, the Yukon Legislature, the Yukon Elections Office, or lawyers acting on behalf of government;
• landlord/tenant matters (private rentals);
• home or auto insurance;
• banks;
• businesses; and
• matters which took place before the Ombudsman Act became law (1996).

If you think that you have been treated unfairly by a public organization, referred to as an authority, it is recommended that you contact us for before filling out our complaint form. Our intake staff can advise you on next steps and how to submit a  complaint. It is recommended that you first try to resolve your problem with the authority by using their internal complaint and appeal procedures. Many complaints are quickly resolved in this way. If you are not certain what complaint procedures are available, you can speak to the authority directly or ask the Ombudsman to help you find information on how to address your problem.

Remember to:

• make notes of your interactions with the authority,
• write down the names and titles of the people you have dealt with,
• keep track of the dates of your contacts with the authority, and
• keep all papers, letters, or emails relating to your complaint.

No. The services of the Ombudsman are free of charge.

Complaints filed with the Ombudsman are confidential. The details of the complaint will only be discussed with the complainant and the authority. The Ombudsman will not discuss a complaint with the authority unless permission from the complainant has been given.

The Ombudsman or an investigator will review findings with the complainant. The Ombudsman writes to each complainant advising them of the investigation and the results. The information acquired during the investigation will not be provided.

When warranted, the Ombudsman does have the power to make recommendations to the related authority with a timeline. In most cases, the complaint is resolved during the investigation and no recommendations are made. The authority can accept or reject the recommendations – they are not required by law to follow them.

The Ombudsman can decide to report the findings to the Legislative Assembly or comment publicly on an investigation. They can also submit a report to the Commissioner in Executive Council and later to the Legislative Assembly about the matter if action hasn’t been taken in a timely manner.

No, the Ombudsman cannot accept a complaint about the RCMP or federal government because they fall outside of the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.

No, the Ombudsman doesn’t have jurisdiction over Yukon municipalities or First Nation governments. However, we can investigate a complaint by request of these governments.

We do not provide legal advice. If you have a complaint about an authority, we may be able to help.  If your complaint is with another person or business, you may want to seek a legal opinion on what options may be available.