BackLast week, Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé released his latest Ombudsman’s message, stressing that his office continues to help Ontarians during the present state of emergency, and has responded to hundreds of public complaints related to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
In the message, the Ombudsman wrote that although the Ombudsman’s office doors have been closed since March 16, Mr. Dubé and more than 100 staff are working from home.
The message details some of what the Ombudsman’s office has accomplished in recent weeks, among other things:
- Arranged new temporary phone lines to allow inmates in the province’s correctional facilities to contact Ombudsman staff, as of next week;
- Handled almost 100 calls from young people in care and in youth justice facilities;
- Helped numerous Ontarians find or navigate information about local and provincial services affected by coronavirus and the state of emergency;
- Made inquiries about the new emergency rules for open municipal meetings;
- Urged the province, through French Language Services Commissioner Kelly Burke, to ensure its public health information, including that shared by Cabinet, is available in French as well as English.
Mr. Dubé noted that a key part of his office’s role has always been to work collaboratively with public sector bodies to alert them to administrative problems and propose constructive solutions. The present situation has prompted the Ombudsman and senior management to “hold regular teleconferences with senior officials in several ministries to bring issues to their attention, learn about their pandemic planning measures, and share information about complaint trends,” he writes.
Please find the Ombudsman’s full statement attached further down below.
Source: Office of the Ontario Ombudsman, Canada
