Hello, Bonjour and Bouzhou – it’s great to be back at the ROMA conference.
I always value my time at your conferences, because I have the chance to meet with so many of you directly. It’s by far the best way to hear your concerns and demystify my role.
It’s a special privilege to be here as we mark the 10 years of Ombudsman oversight of municipalities. In fact, it was exactly 10 years ago, on this very stage, that we made our first appearance at a municipal conference.
Our message was that:
- We were eager to work with you on municipal issues.
- We looked forward to fostering productive relationships with stakeholders.
- Our approach to the role would be to resolve complaints at the lowest level wherever possible, and to proactively prevent complaints from arising through education and dialogue.
Ten years later, I hope you would agree that we have been true to our word.
In those 10 years, we have handled more than 30,000 complaints and inquiries about municipalities, all across the province. The demand for our services in resolving local issues is steady and continues to grow – we saw a new record of more than 3,800 cases in the last fiscal year, and are already on track to surpass it this year.
But those numbers are only part of the story. Out of those 30,000 municipal cases we’ve handled since 2016, do you know how many have resulted in a formal investigation?
Six. That’s right. Six out of 30,000.
And that is all due to – you guessed it – fostering productive relationships, resolving complaints at the lowest level wherever possible, and proactively preventing them through education and dialogue.
The benefit of our work is the tangible, lasting results we’ve achieved for hundreds of thousands of your residents, through collaborative, constructive resolution of issues.
Put simply, our value proposition is this: We help you do your important and challenging jobs.
For residents, we’re a safe, accessible place to raise concerns.
For councils and staff, we’re a neutral, apolitical resource for flagging systemic issues, suggesting practical solutions, or validating your actions when you do the right thing. We even recognize good governance and exemplary administration with the new Good Governance Awards we launched last year. I was pleased to give the first municipal Good Governance Award to the City of Hamilton for removing the barrier of a $100 fee to complain to its integrity commissioner.
From the start, our objective has never been to “name, blame, and shame,” but to find solutions together whenever possible.
We either validate what you have done or provide constructive feedback and best practices to improve services. When we suggest corrective action – whether it’s as a result of an investigation or, more commonly, by sharing best practices, or by making a submission to the province for legislative change – the benefits extend well beyond the municipality in question.
Our findings, recommendations and resources are available to all. That includes our guides for hiring integrity commissioners and creating codes of conduct. Or our tip cards for complaint processes or trespass policies. Or our popular Open Meeting Guide and Open Meeting Case Digest – which are there to help all of you navigate the open meeting rules, even if you don’t use us as your closed meeting investigator.
We’re happy to be a place – completely independent of the government – that you can turn for questions or guidance. We are an extremely valuable resource for municipalities.
This past year, when Local Services Boards became subject to open meeting rules, we conducted webinars to help them learn about their transparency obligations. We know, from working with many of you, over the years, that small and remote communities often face unique challenges when it comes to local governance, and we’re here to help.
More than that, we are here as a safeguard for Ontarians’ rights: That includes the right to complain, to observe government in action, and to expect accountable administration – regardless of where you live.
I realize that many people misunderstand the Ombudsman’s role, assuming it’s a sort of enforcer like a police officer. I like to point out that an Ombudsman is actually more like a doctor.
When reviewing a complaint, my team probes the issues, assesses the situation, then reports back on the organization’s overall health. It’s either a clean bill of health or, if necessary, recommendations for improvements.
It’s up to the “patient” to decide whether to act on the recommendations. But I am pleased to say that they overwhelmingly do, which is a win-win-win – for the organization, the complainant, and for us.
Thank you for listening, and for your collaboration and feedback over the past 10 years.
I think local democracy is the better for all these efforts.
Merci à vous tous et vous toutes, and Migwetch.