CANADA | Alberta Ombudsman Annual Report 2021-2022

In her last report after five years as Alberta Ombudsman, Marianne Ryan bids farewell and underlines the excellent accomplishments of the office. She also thanks her resourceful staff for their service and dedication throughout a challenging period.  

Health-related investigations featured prominently in the period under review. COVID-19 themes dominated the Ombudsman’s last annual report. While signs are encouraging that the pandemic is fading, COVID-19 related matters remained an issue for this report.

Although health-related costs absorb a high percentage of the Alberta annual budget, statistically the health field generates comparatively fewer complaints to the Ombudsman’s office than other mainline government departments such as social services supports or corrections.

Making recommendations is of little use if the government does not put them into action. In January 2022, the Ombudsman posted on its website a memo by Alberta Health describing how it has implemented the Ombudsman’s recommendations in 2019. The story “Transforming Mental Health Services”, looked at the review process for involuntarily committed mental health patients. On another follow-up note – also handled in this annual report – the office provides a summary of actions taken by Alberta Correctional Services Division in response to an own motion investigation released in March 2021, titled “Youth in Segregation”. As the title suggests, it looks at the fairness of administrative processes leading to the use of segregation in young offender centres. The division is addressing the Ombudsman’s recommendations in a positive spirit and intends to put them into practice. 

The Ombudsman Act ensures every Albertan has the right to complain to the Ombudsman if they believe they were treated unfairly when attempting to access a public service.  The Ombudsman Act provides a legislative framework for the Alberta Ombudsman to receive complaints, investigate allegations of unfair treatment and make recommendations for improvement.

The Ombudsman is also Alberta’s Public Interest Commissioner. The Commissioner’s primary responsibility is to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act.  It is through this office that public sector employees may bring significant and serious matters forward they believe to be unlawful, dangerous, or injurious to the public interest.

Source: Office of the Alberta Ombudsman, Canada