The Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario will be closed on Monday, August 4. Our phone lines will also be closed.
Our services will resume on Tuesday, August 5 at 9 a.m.
A man contacted our Office after trying unsuccessfully to have his Trillium Drug Program deductible increased. He had requested a reassessment, but the amount was still inconsistent with the program guide’s formula. He was also having trouble getting reimbursed for his wife’s kidney transplant …
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A man contacted our Office after trying unsuccessfully to have his Trillium Drug Program deductible increased.
/en/our-work/case-stories/deductible-decision
Form fix
We heard from a man who was still waiting for his semi-annual grant for ostomy supplies from the Ministry’s Assistive Devices Program. We spoke with Ministry staff and learned that they were waiting on a form from him. We arranged with staff from his doctor’s office to send the form to the Ministry …
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We heard from a man who was still waiting for his semi-annual grant for ostomy supplies from the Ministry’s Assistive Devices Program.
/en/our-work/case-stories/form-fix
Address unknown
A woman sought our help when she found out her driver’s licence had been suspended for medical reasons five years earlier, without her knowledge. Because of the delay, she would have to repeat the graduated licensing process to get her licence reinstated. Our inquiries revealed that the Ministry …
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A woman sought our help when she found out her driver’s licence had been suspended for medical reasons five years earlier, without her knowledge.
/en/our-work/case-stories/address-unknown-0
Fax confirmed
A woman complained to us that the Ministry of Transportation had suspended her licence even though she had faxed in her eye test results a month earlier for special review. We provided the Ministry’s Medical Review Section with a copy of the fax confirmation, which showed the submission date. Staff …
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A woman complained to us that the Ministry of Transportation had suspended her licence even though she had faxed in her eye test results a month earlier for special review.
/en/our-work/case-stories/fax-confirmed
Clean record
A woman who needed to drive to visit her husband in hospital sought our help after ServiceOntario told her she could not renew her licence. The issue was an old driving offence on her record, which required that she complete three tests before her licence would be valid. She told us she had …
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A woman who needed to drive to visit her husband in hospital sought our help after ServiceOntario told her she could not renew her licence.
/en/our-work/case-stories/clean-record
Slow-speed cheque
A man contacted our Office after waiting almost two years for the Ministry of Transportation to return a $5,000 security deposit. He had arranged a special permit from the Ministry to build a fence along a section of provincial highway near his property. The deposit was a Ministry requirement – …
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A man contacted our Office after waiting almost two years for the Ministry of Transportation to return a $5,000 security deposit.
/en/our-work/case-stories/slow-speed-cheque
Pardon the delay
A former client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) contacted our Office after she was told she would have to pay an outstanding restitution order to receive a pardon for a past criminal offence. She told us she had paid the order through automatic deductions from her Ontario …
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A former client of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT) contacted our Office after she was told she would have to pay an outstanding restitution order to receive a pardon for a past criminal offence.
/en/our-work/case-stories/pardon-delay
Up in smoke
A woman sought our help after trying for several weeks to get a refund from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) for a package that Canada Post never delivered. She was told – and we confirmed – that her cannabis order had been destroyed when a truck carrying mail and parcels caught fire in the parking …
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A woman sought our help after trying for several weeks to get a refund from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) for a package that Canada Post never delivered.
/en/our-work/case-stories/smoke
Finally heard
A couple with disabilities contacted us after trying for months to get an expedited hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to address unsafe conditions in their apartment. Their landlord had failed to fix serious problems, including an unstable toilet, a broken intercom, and pest …
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A couple with disabilities contacted us after trying for months to get an expedited hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to address unsafe conditions in their apartment.
/en/our-work/case-stories/finally-heard
Post-mortem refund
A man who had continued to make regular family support payments to his former mother-in-law, who had cared for his now-adult daughter, complained to us after he learned the older woman had been dead for more than a year. He alerted the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) – which had administered the …
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A man who had continued to make regular family support payments to his former mother-in-law, who had cared for his now-adult daughter, complained to us after he learned the older woman had been dead for more than a year.
/en/our-work/case-stories/post-mortem-refund
Voicemail jail
An Ontario Works (OW) recipient urgently needed help when her benefits were suspended because she submitted some paperwork late. She had been in and out of hospital, and needed drug coverage to continue her medical treatments, but could not reach her OW caseworker. When we contacted OW staff, we …
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An Ontario Works (OW) recipient urgently needed help when her benefits were suspended because she submitted some paperwork late.
/en/our-work/case-stories/voicemail-jail
Breaking the bank
A woman who was owed more than $10,000 in support payments from her ex-husband complained to us that she had provided documents to the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) proving that he had the money in a bank account, but the FRO would not take action. Our inquiries determined that the man’s money …
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A woman who was owed more than $10,000 in support payments from her ex-husband complained to us that she had provided documents to the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) proving that he had the money in a bank account, but the FRO would not take action.
/en/our-work/case-stories/breaking-bank
Found money
A mother had been waiting for months to access support funding to assist with her nine-year-old son’s developmental mental health conditions. She was concerned that his behaviour was escalating and putting himself and others at risk. After we contacted officials at the Ministry of Children, …
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A mother had been waiting for months to access support funding to assist with her nine-year-old son’s developmental mental health conditions.
/en/our-work/case-stories/found-money-0
Power arrangers
A woman who was behind on her hydro bills asked Ontario Works (OW) for help to avoid getting disconnected. The agency granted the request, but accidentally transferred an extra $1,600 to the utility, which added it to the woman’s account. She assumed it was additional COVID-19 support, as OW had …
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A woman who was behind on her hydro bills asked Ontario Works (OW) for help to avoid getting disconnected.
/en/our-work/case-stories/power-arrangers
Please remain seated
A man studying online for his real estate certification complained to us after he was accused of leaving his seat during a virtual exam and then locked out of the program. He insisted that he had never left his seat, and that a glitch in the virtual proctoring technology had mistakenly identified …
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A man studying online for his real estate certification complained to us after he was accused of leaving his seat during a virtual exam and then locked out of the program.
/en/our-work/case-stories/please-remain-seated
Conversion confusion
A man who had accidentally submitted incorrect information to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) sought our help when OSAP converted his $32,000 grant to a loan. He told us that because of the mistake, OSAP had concluded that his wife was employed, when in fact she lived in Afghanistan …
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A man who had accidentally submitted incorrect information to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) sought our help when OSAP converted his $32,000 grant to a loan.
/en/our-work/case-stories/conversion-confusion
Vaccination pass
A university student who was exclusively enrolled in online courses and as an online teaching assistant complained to us that he was “unenrolled” because he did not provide proof that he had received the COVID-19 vaccine. He complained that there was no clear appeal process, and no distinction was …
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A university student who was exclusively enrolled in online courses and as an online teaching assistant complained to us that he was “unenrolled” because he did not provide proof that he had received the COVID-19 vaccine.
/en/our-work/case-stories/vaccination-pass
Far and unfair
We received a complaint from the father of a student with disabilities who resides during the week at a provincial demonstration school in southern Ontario. He said school officials had insisted that he pick up his daughter within two hours, because she was exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. This was …
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We received a complaint from the father of a student with disabilities who resides during the week at a provincial demonstration school in southern Ontario.
/en/our-work/case-stories/far-and-unfair
Paying the piper
After water rates were increased in a small municipality, we received 48 complaints from local residents who disagreed with the increase. We made inquiries with municipal staff, who explained that council had approved the hike at an open meeting, based on a staff report that detailed significant …
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After water rates were increased in a small municipality, we received 48 complaints from local residents who disagreed with the increase.
/en/our-work/case-stories/paying-piper
Triple trouble
A woman complained to us that she had no idea why her water bill had tripled in a few months with no change to her consumption, and the municipal billing department would not help. After we helped identify who she should speak with to escalate her concerns at the municipality, the woman told us …
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A woman complained to us that she had no idea why her water bill had tripled in a few months with no change to her consumption, and the municipal billing department would not help.
