The Ombudsman investigates individual complaints and major systemic issues under the Ombudsman Act.
He also investigates complaints about closed municipal meetings under the Municipal Act. To learn more, read about our open meeting cases or find your closed meeting investigator.
The Ombudsman also makes submissions to government on proposed legislation.
June 26, 2024
26 June 2024
Correcting the record
A transgender woman who changed the name and sex designation on her driver’s licence contacted us in frustration after being told that her car insurance would now cost more.
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June 26, 2024
26 June 2024
Kept in suspense
A senior sought our help when his driver’s licence was suspended, just seven months after he had gone through an extensive process with the Driver Medical Review Office to get it reinstated.
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June 26, 2024
26 June 2024
Motorcycle mix-up
A man noticed that the driver’s licence he’d had for four years did not indicate that he was also qualified to drive a motorcycle.
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October 5, 2023
5 October 2023
At your service
A mother sought our help when a DriveTest centre wouldn’t let her daughter bring her certified service dog on her road test.
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October 5, 2023
5 October 2023
Name shame
A mother contacted us in frustration about the conduct of a driving instructor towards her son, a student driver.
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October 5, 2023
5 October 2023
Wurst case scenario
An aspiring hot dog vendor complained to us after waiting for two years for a letter from the Ministry to confirm that his custom-built propane-fueled hot dog cart did not require a vehicle identification number or licence plate.
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October 5, 2023
5 October 2023
Tricky ticket
A woman contacted us after a difficult experience trying to resolve a traffic ticket.
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August 10, 2022
10 August 2022
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.
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August 10, 2022
10 August 2022
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.
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August 10, 2022
10 August 2022
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.
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August 10, 2022
10 August 2022
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.
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June 28, 2021
28 June 2021
No surrender
A driver complained to us after he was told the Ministry had no record of the licence he had surrendered to them 30 days earlier.
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June 28, 2021
28 June 2021
Experience counts
A man who had driving experience in India and in British Columbia sought our help after he tried to obtain an equivalent Ontario driver’s licence.
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June 28, 2021
28 June 2021
Kept in suspense
A driver whose licence was suspended as a result of a criminal charge successfully appealed the charge and had it removed from his record.
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July 6, 2020
6 July 2020
Record time
A driver who moved to B.C. sought our help after waiting for a copy of his driving record from Ontario for 7 weeks.
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July 6, 2020
6 July 2020
Presto change
When attempting to reload her Presto card, a transit rider purchased a monthly Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) pass by mistake. She contacted Metrolinx, which referred her to the TTC, which in turn referred her to Metrolinx.
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July 6, 2020
6 July 2020
Claiming responsibility
A man whose vehicle was damaged by a large pothole complained to us after the Ministry of Transportation’s adjuster denied his claim and the road construction company denied responsibility.
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July 6, 2020
6 July 2020
Lost in the mail
A woman came to us in frustration after trying several times to obtain her renewed driver’s licence. Each time she visited ServiceOntario, she was given a temporary licence and told a permanent one would be mailed to her.
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April 30, 2020
30 April 2020
Essential licence
A woman whose job was deemed an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic sought our help when her driver’s licence was suspended due to a medical matter and she was temporarily unable to get to work.
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June 25, 2019
25 June 2019
Mail fail
A commercial truck driver complained to us that his licence had been downgraded and he had not been able to get an explanation or assistance from ServiceOntario or DriveTest.
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June 25, 2019
25 June 2019
Passed test
A 74-year-old woman who delayed a required driver’s test so she could have hip surgery sought our help after the Ministry cancelled her driver’s licence. She was required to take several tests to keep her licence after having a car accident.
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June 25, 2019
25 June 2019
Proof of payment
A driver who required his licence for work sought our help when it was suddenly suspended due to a fine he had incurred 27 years earlier. He had been convicted of impaired driving in 1990 and fined $735.
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June 25, 2019
25 June 2019
Welcome home
A woman who had lived abroad for many years returned to Ontario and applied to exchange her foreign licence for an Ontario licence.
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June 26, 2018
26 June 2018
Change of address
An inmate who tried repeatedly to get information from the Ministry of Transportation about his driving record and other issues complained that he could not get information from officials during the 20 minutes of phone time he was allowed.
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June 26, 2018
26 June 2018
Have licence, will travel
A woman seeking to renew her driver’s licence was given a temporary one, valid for three months, and told her new licence would be mailed in 6-8 weeks.
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June 26, 2018
26 June 2018
Bugs in the system
An elderly woman contacted us after she was unable to get provincial officials to respond to her about a blocked highway culvert near her home that had become a mosquito breeding ground.
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June 26, 2018
26 June 2018
On the road again
An Ontario man who had temporarily moved to B.C. was told upon his return that his motorcycle licence had been cancelled and he would have to go through the testing process again.
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June 27, 2017
27 June 2017
Cleared to drive
A driver who moved to Ontario from British Columbia complained to our office that his job was at risk because of an impaired driving conviction from 13 years earlier.
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June 27, 2017
27 June 2017
Photo finish
A man who needed a new driver’s licence for work complained to our Office that he could not get one because he didn’t have adequate photo identification.
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November 8, 2016
8 November 2016
Signal co-ordination
After narrowly escaping being hit by an Ontario Northland Railway train near her home, a woman requested an automatic signal be installed to prevent future incidents.
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November 8, 2016
8 November 2016
System error
After a 30-day suspension, a woman visited a ServiceOntario office and paid the $150 fee to have her licence reinstated.
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November 8, 2016
8 November 2016
Bureaucratic brake
A senior complained that after he sent a medical report to the Ministry as required for his driver’s licence, he was told it could not be found and he would have to submit it again.
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June 23, 2014
23 June 2014
Deadline Driven
A driver who suffered what he believed to be a seizure in April 2013 was diagnosed by a neurologist and, as required by the Ministry of Transportation, had his licence suspended pending a medical review. On October 28, 2013, his doctor faxed documentation to the Ministry to prove that he had been seizure-free for six months, and thus eligible to have his licence reinstated.
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April 30, 2014
30 April 2014
Better Safe Than Sorry
Investigation into how the Ministry of Transportation administers the process for obtaining and assessing information about drivers who may have uncontrolled hypoglycemia.
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June 10, 2011
10 June 2011
Non-emergency medical transportation services
Investigation into complaints about patient safety, infection control and other issues involving the vehicles that transport non-emergency patients, focusing on whether adequate measures are in place to protect the public.
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