Table Of ContentANNUAL REPORT
'9 3/ '94
The Hon. David Warner, Speaker
Legislative Assembly
Province of Ontario
Queen's Park
Toronto
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I am pleased to submit to you my
Annual Report for the period April 1
,
1993 to March 31 1994 pursuant to
, ,
Section 11 of the Ombudsman Act so
thatyou might cause ittobe laidbefore
the Assembly.
Yours truly.
Roberta L. Jamieson
Ombudsman
Table of Contents
Vision and Activities of
2 40
Mission Statement the Ombudsman:
• Presentations
The Ombudsman's
4
• National and International
Message
Activities
• National Ombudsman Conference
Directorate
6
Reports; 44 Statistical Data
• Community Access and Intake
Audited Statement
49
• Finance, Administration,
FOR 1993-94
Communications and Systems
Fiscal Year
• Human Resources
• Investigative and Legal Services 50 Ombudsman
Ontario
Types of S ta
16
Complaints
District
51
Location
Selected Case
18
Summaries
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Comments about our 1993-94 Annual Report:
1
OMBUDSMAN
ONTARIO
June 7, 1994
The Hon. David Warner, Speaker
Legislative Assembly
Province of Ontario
Queen's Park
Toronto
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I am pleased to submit to you my
Annual Report for the period April 1,
1993 to March 31, 1994, pursuant to
Section 11 of the Ombudsman Act so
thatyou mightcause ittobelaidbefore
the Assembly.
Yours trulv.
MAlL>POST
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CanadaPostCorporation
Societecanadiennedespostas
Postagepaid Portpaye
ifmailedinCanada siposteauCanadr
BusinessReply Reponsed’affaiii
0011951299
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0011951299-M5S2C7-BR01
Communications Department
OmbudsmanOntario
125 Queen’sPark
Toronto, OntarioM5S 2C7
Table of Contents
2 Vision and 40 Activities of
Mission Statement THE Ombudsman:
• Presentations
The Ombudsman's
4
• National and International
Message
Activities
Directorate • National Ombudsman Conference
6
Reports: 44 Statistical Data
• Community Access and Intake
Audited Statement
49
• Finance, Administration,
FOR 1993-94
Communications and Systems
Fiscal Year
• Human Resources
• Investigative and Legal Services 50 Ombudsman
Types of
16
Complaints
Selected Case
18
Summaries
ThisAnnualReportis
somemeasureof
wherewestarted,
howfarwehave
movedalong, how
muchfurtherwe
havetogo, andhow
weareplanningto
getthere.
2 • V I s I o N AND Mission Statement
Vision
Ombudsman Ontario will strive to ensure that
people are served justly, equitably, and fairly
by Ontario government organizations.
Mission Statement
In striving to achieve this Vision, we are
committed to the following goals for fairness
and service:
• Investigate and resolve complaints
efficiently;
• Deliver relevant, timely, impartial and
accessible services;
• Foster objective standards of
government administration;
• Act as a resource to government
organizations and the public to prevent
future complaints;
• Increase public awareness of our
organization;
• Be ethical and accountable;
• Encourage teamwork through joint
consultation and communication;
• Monitor and evaluate our organizational
performance;
• Realize individual potential through
pro-active human resource practices.
Vision and Mission Statement
• 3
The Ombudsman's Message
M
y mission as Oml:)udsman has we have made mean the people of Ontario
been lo provide the people of will continue to have top quality Ombudsman
Ontario with the best possible seivices, the improvements have not hap-
Omlxidsman services. This they deserve, pened without considerable sacrifice and hard
this they demand, and this is what the work. At the same time, Ontario is experienc-
Legislature intends them to have. ing a proliferation of Ombudsman-like agen-
How can this be done in a time of cies and commissions.
increasing demand for seixices and fiscal It is unfortunate that in the din of debate
restraint? The question is a familiar one. over these critical questions, the voices of
Perhaps we are tired about hearing of those among us who are the most vulnera-
unprecedented change battering our public ble, the most likely to have to interact with
institutions. We have not fully grasped the government on a day-to-day basis, often go
impact that government’s new realities will unheard. We know that when governments
have on our lives. We expect government to are pressured to do more with less and
continue providing comprehensive, high- employees must make decisions under
quality services, accommodating the increas- pressure, the potential for error and unfair-
ing numbers of persons who seek access to ness rises. Everyone becomes more vulnera-
—
assistance programs, and reducing spending ble it is for this very reason that the ser-
to cut the deficit. The same forces which vices the Ombudsman provides are more
cause people to seek more government essential than ever.
assistance also reduce the government’s Against this stark landscape, I attempt to
income. Not only do we expect the govern- fulfill my mandate of investigating and
ment to maintain the status quo on less resolving complaints that the public has in
—
money we expect it to initiate necessary their dealings with government. The same
changes to provide a strong foundation for landscape that I see outside the door also
our future. confronts us inside the Ombudsman offices.
It is little comfort that we are experienc- We are not immune from either the pres-
ing part of a global phenomenon where the sures or the challenges. This year,
norm is rapid change bordering on chaos. Ombudsman Ontario had a 13 percent
We cannot breathe a sigh of relief that the increase in written complaints and inquiries
—
worst is over our economic sands are just with no real increase in either staff comple-
in the first stages of shifting. ment or budget.
Governments have to make hard choices. Tough times can be used as an excuse
Which services are vital and necessary and for inaction, an excuse for a decline in ser-
which are unaffordable left-overs from more vices. An organization can batten down the
prosperous times? Which organizations and hatches, become defensive, exhibit a siege
institutions are key to the protection and mentality, complain about having to do
enhancement of strongly held values? more with less, and chronicle a worsening
In the Ombudsman sector, there are both situation. My staff, however, took the higher
overlap and gaps of service. While efforts road. We are facing tough times with
courage and honesty, vigorously accepting
4 • T H E O M B U D S M A N ' .S M H .S S A G E
the challenge and creatively designing and commitment to succeed which enabled us
implementing practical strategies. Along the to courageously and cooperatively find satis-
way we learned many lessons. factory resolutions. The hidden benefit in all
We learned that expecting people to do this is an increasing comfort with change,
more with less within the same framework is seeing it as a characteristic of the environ-
neither reasonable nor realistic. ment in which we will work for the foresee-
We learned that ifwe were to succeed, able future. We are becoming a learning
every single organizational structure and proce- organization.
dure had to be open This Annual Report,
to change and then, is some measure
improvement. of where we started,
We learned that how far we have
we must be open to moved along, how
ideas presented in much further we have
consultation with to go, and how we
members of the pub- are planning to get
lic, staff, government there.
officials, and in the I have always con-
results of the recent sidered it essential
value for money that our operations be
audit completed by above reproach and
the Provincial set out clear standards
Auditor. of fair service if I am
We learned to expect the same
through strategic public education initiatives quality of service from government organi-
that we are reaching more and more people zations. My belief that this is possible with-
who represent the diversity of Ontario. We out sacrificing quality, justice, fairness and
are learning too that internal adjustments are equity has been reinforced and encouraged
required in order to provide equity of ser- by the manner in which our staff has dealt
vice to all Ontarians. with this challenge. We are happy to share
We changed and are changing the way our experience with any government agency
we do things. We restructured investigative which wants to listen.
teams, developed a new computer system, I hope that the people of Ontario will
streamlined the case management system, find our improved operation of value to
and adopted a more decentralized organiza- them. My staff and I stand ready to listen,
tion so that responsibility is exercised where investigate and resolve problems far into the
it is most effective. These and other changes future.
are discussed in greater detail in the
Directorate reports which follow.
Has all this change been seamlessly
smooth? Absolutely not. There have been Roberta L.Jamieson
snarls and disagreements. It has been the Ombudsman
The Ombudsman's Message »5
Change isnowa
constantforboth
ourmanagersand
staff. To beuseful
and we
effective,
musttakecharge
ofthischange.
6 • Directorate Reports
