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Good Governance Award given to selected organizations in 3 areas of the Ombudsman's mandate
On 28 February 2025, the Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé announced a new award for public sector bodies that have demonstrated exemplary administrative practices – the Ombudsman’s Award for Good Governance – as part of his office’s 50th anniversary activities.
Awards will be given to selected organizations in three areas of the Ombudsman’s mandate – provincial government bodies, broader public sector bodies (e.g., school boards, universities, children’s aid societies), and municipalities, he announced.
The first award recipient is the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), for its efforts to enhance its provision of French language services. The Ombudsman chose to recognize the OPP because it fixed longstanding technical problems with issuing AMBER Alerts simultaneously in English and French, and because of its exemplary efforts to provide an "active offer" of service in French, as required under the French Language Services Act. These improvements were noted by French Language Services Commissioner Carl Bouchard in his latest annual report, published by the Ombudsman’s office last December.
"The Ombudsman was established in 1975 to protect your rights – and that means we do much more than receive complaints and resolve administrative issues," Ombudsman Dubé said.
"When we find problems, either at the individual or systemic level, we recommend solutions to make public services work better. Organizations demonstrate the value of fairness, transparency, accountability, and a respect for rights when they put them into action – and it’s only fitting to credit them for doing so."
Ombudsman Ontario has recognized exemplary practices by public servants and agencies throughout its history, he noted. "When government and public sector agencies implement our recommendations and improve their practices, everyone benefits.
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Source: The Ontario Ombudsman, Canada
