The Ombudsman investigates complaints from individuals who feel they have been served unfairly by an authority. If someone is unable to resolve a complaint with an authority, our team is here to help.  

Any person, group, society or company with a complaint against an authority can contact our office. A list of authorities under the Ombudsman Act can be found on our homepage.

Complaints filed with the Ombudsman are confidential. The details of the complaint will be discussed only with the complainant and the involved authority.

There is no fee for our services.

How to make a complaint

  1. Complaints can be made in writing, by telephone, e-mail or by visiting our office. 

    An initial conversation with a member of our team before submitting an Ombudsman Complaint Form may save you time and energy, and expedite the resolution process.

  2. Complete and submit an Ombudsman Complaint Form to our office.
     
  3. Once we receive a complaint, we follow a process that includes determining whether the complaint is within our jurisdiction, preliminary inquiries and research, analysis, possible investigation, with the intent of resolution. 
Complaint preparation

We will gather as much information from you as possible during the intake process so we can determine how to proceed with your complaint. It is important for you to share any information or decisions that the authority has given you. We will also inquire whether the authority has an appeal process and if you tried this route.

You may be asked to write down the details of your complaint and provide copies of any documents you have related to your complaint.

We will review your information and may request information from the authority so that we can determine how best to deal with your complaint. Most complaints are resolved through our Informal Case Resolution process that we try and complete within 90 days of complaint submission. However, sometime complaints are escalated to Formal Investigation which can take a longer period of time to resolve. Each complaint is unique and the Ombudsman tries to find the best way to bring resolution.