Land acknowledgment
The Ontario Ombudsman’s work takes place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province we now call Ontario. The City of Toronto, where our office is located, is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We are thankful to be able to live and work on this land, and we acknowledge the many treaties that overlay it.
We believe in the significance of land acknowledgments as a way to recognize, respect and honour this territory, the treaties, the original occupants, their ancestors, and the historic connection they still have with this territory.
We are grateful for the opportunity to work on this part of Turtle Island.
Our Indigenous Services Plan
The Ombudsman’s priority is to build respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples and communities and earn trust in order to be able to provide more services to them. To that end, we have embarked on a journey of learning, beginning with training that enhances our cultural awareness, sensitivity, and understanding.
We acknowledge that we have much work to do to progress our commitment to a shared path for reconciliation, but our mission is to acknowledge, respect, and affirm the rich culture and history of Indigenous peoples in all that we do, including in our daily interactions resolving complaints and in our role as an effective agent of change addressing systemic issues.
In addition to providing assistance to individuals from Indigenous communities, the Ombudsman aspires to play a helpful role in informing nation-to-nation and government-to-government discussions.
As our commitment to reconciliation, our focus is on:
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Demonstrating our Office's dedication to serving the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples recognized under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 in Ontario;
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Providing educational opportunities for our staff to help them learn more about our shared history and the harms that have been inflicted on Indigenous peoples;
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Working to establish mutually respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples across the province; and
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Continuing to integrate recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls into our work.
What you should know
The Ombudsman is an independent, non-partisan Officer of the Ontario Legislature and is not part of the government. The Ombudsman is a democratic institution appointed by all parties to ensure that the provincial government and public sector serve people in a way that is fair, accountable, transparent and respectful of their rights.
We intervene to resolve or investigate issues involving government and public sector administration and make evidence-based recommendations for corrective action when necessary.
Examples include:
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ServiceOntario (driver’s licences, health cards, birth certificates);
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Municipal services, programs and permits;
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Correctional facilities and youth justice centres;
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Environmental and natural resources concerns;
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Children’s aid societies, group and foster homes for children and youth;
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School boards, colleges, universities and student assistance programs;
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Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Ontario Works and other social benefits;
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Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB);
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Landlord and Tenant Board and other tribunals
Our services are available in English and French, and we have the capacity to involve an Indigenous language interpreter on request. Our brochures are also available in Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, and Oji-Cree.
Our unique potential to contribute to reconciliation
Ontario has the largest population of Indigenous people in Canada, which is growing at a faster rate than the non-Indigenous population. The Ombudsman seeks to engage with the Indigenous peoples recognized under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and raise awareness of all aspects of the office’s jurisdiction including in the areas of children and youth in care, justice, corrections, housing, health care, education, municipalities, and natural resources.
Through its complaint handling and investigation of provincial and municipal issues, Ombudsman Ontario has a unique ability to identify and comment on emerging issues and propose improvements that enhance governance, such as improving the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Ontario public sector agencies that provide services to them, and Indigenous peoples’ equal access to opportunities within those agencies.
Read our brochures (available in Ojibwe, Cree, Mohawk and Oji-Cree).
Our team
Ombudsman Ontario’s team includes our Indigenous Circle, which has the capacity to incorporate Indigenous Cultural practices into their work, such as smudging, the use of an Eagle Feather, and the participation of Elders. The Indigenous Circle team provides consultative advice on cases and investigations, as well as conducts outreach to Indigenous communities, as well as child and family well-being agencies, Aboriginal Health Access Centres and Indigenous Friendship Centres.
We are hiring an Indigenous Liaison Advisory Consultant and an Indigenous Services Coordinator. These are groundbreaking roles for Ombudsman Ontario. They will play an historic role in advancing our commitment to facilitating engagement and building relationships with Indigenous peoples, nations and communities, as well as better serving the Indigenous peoples who interact with Ombudsman Ontario, and embedding principles of Truth and Reconciliation across our operations.
Our Indigenous Services Plan is aimed at advancing Ombudsman Ontario’s commitments to reconciliation, including integrating Indigenous practices and perspectives into daily operations and policy development, and the delivery of culturally responsive and safe services which better serve and are more accessible to Indigenous people living in Ontario.
Activities and engagement
As part of this Indigenous Services Plan, we have focused on ensuring that the Indigenous realities of people in Ontario are taken into account. Here are a few examples:
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Meeting with Indigenous leadership, communities and organizations to hear their concerns;
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Participating in events across Ontario to speak with and listen to Indigenous communities, including attending Pow Wows, Elder gatherings, and the annual Chiefs of Ontario conference;
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Continually assessing our practices to better meet the needs of Indigenous communities;
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Providing cultural safety training for all staff, as well as presentations on medicines, smudging, and the eagle feather from a traditional knowledge keeper;
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Ensuring our staff learn history, including through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and from the Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves;
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Supporting our staff in handling complaints from Indigenous people, including asking complainants, witnesses and agencies what a culturally safe interview process looks like to them;
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Incorporating relevant findings, Calls to Action and Calls to Justice from the Truth and Reconciliation and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls reports into our work.
Our work
The following includes particularly relevant investigations, recommendations, and work to improve public services for Indigenous communities.
Out of Oversight, Out of Mind – This investigation was prompted by a surge in complaints to our Office, as well as the extreme case of Adam Capay, an Indigenous man who was held in segregation for more than four years while awaiting trial for murder. After the Ombudsman’s report and recommendations, government implemented a new definition of “segregation” that is based on the conditions the person is experiencing, not the area where they are held. It also improved policies and training for recording segregation placements, and ended the practice of “restarting the clock” when a person in segregation transfers to another facility. It has also collected segregation data and made it available to the public.
Missing in Inaction: Misty’s Story – In 2020, 13-year-old “Misty” went missing seven times while in the care of a foster agency in a Southwestern Ontario city, where she had been placed because the Indigenous CAS near her home community could find no appropriate place for her. She was physically and sexually assaulted and suffered an overdose. The Ombudsman’s 58 recommendations results in improved policies regarding the safety of children in care.
Lost Opportunities – The Ombudsman made 16 recommendations to the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services after this investigation revealed serious issues with the sudden closure of two youth justice programs in northern Ontario. He found that the planning and implementation of these closures was shrouded in secrecy and failed to consider the best interests of the residents, including Indigenous and transgender youths. The Ministry has since taken steps to significantly transform how it approaches youth justice program and facility closures. It has consulted staff, other jurisdictions, Indigenous Affairs Ontario and Indigenous communities, worked on a best practices manual to guide future closures, and revised policies and procedures.
Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) – The Ombudsman and staff met with community members and leaders. During this visit, the Ombudsman was told there had been a delay in Hydro One installing the poles to bring electricity to these homes, and there appeared to be a communication breakdown between the community and Hydro One. He reached out to Hydro One’s Ombudsman, and by working together, they were able to communicate the urgency of the situation to the corporation. The hydro line was installed within the month.
We have also helped individuals with public services concerns. For example:
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An Indigenous inmate complained of repeated delays in response to her requests to see a social worker, so she could apply to an Indigenous healing lodge. We spoke with facility officials, who said staffing shortages had resulted in delays. We kept in touch with the inmate, who confirmed she was able to submit her application.
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We stepped in to help an Indigenous man who was struggling to care for the newborn child of relatives suffering from addiction. No paperwork had been done to secure funding for necessary medication, foster care and other resources. As a result of our involvement, a Customary Care Agreement – which allows for an Indigenous child to be cared for by a person who is not the child’s parent according to the custom of their community – was finalized to ensure the child received support.
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We received complaints from members of First Nations about delayed reimbursements under the Ontario First Nations HST rebate program. The program, run by the Ministry of Finance, provides eligible First Nations people, bands, and band councils with rebates of the 8% provincial portion of the HST paid on qualifying goods and services purchased off-reserve. Ministry officials told us the standard processing time for these applications is eight weeks, but acknowledged there were delays due to a higher-than-usual volume of claims. We continue to follow up with the Ministry on the status of the program’s processing backlog and its strategies to reduce it.
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We helped a First Nations community experiencing administrative barriers to obtaining birth certificates, which are generally required for people to access government services and programs. We were told that these barriers included an online registration process that was sometimes difficult to access for those without reliable Internet service, and the wording of instructions on forms. We made inquiries with the territorial organization representing the communities that contacted us, as well as with the government, to determine what can be done to address these concerns.
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An Indigenous inmate told us he had not been able to smudge regularly at his facility, and he wasn’t allowed traditional medicines such as cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco. After we intervened, he met with a Native Inmate Liaison Officer and was provided with smudge spray, sage medicine, and a new medicine bag. We also confirmed that he was offered the opportunity to attend Indigenous programs and ceremonies.
careers
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