While our investigations of complaints are conducted confidentially, every year we select a number of cases for publication in our annual report. These case summaries (with names changed or abbreviated to protect confidentiality) are meant to illustrate the variety of work the Ombudsperson’s office does, and the kinds of resolutions we can often achieve.
Below you will find a selection of those summaries, taken from our past annual reports.
Income and Community supports
Woman refused income assistance without adequate reasons
Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
More than one year after the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance decided that a client was not eligible for income assistance; Ms. B contacted the Ombudsman’s Office to complain. Ms. B was not sure why the Ministry had decided she was ineligible for income assistance; however, she believed the reasons related to her access to a trust fund belonging to her son....more
Appeal decision based on wrong information
Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal
Our office was contacted by Ms. F, who said a decision by the Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal was unfair to her because the Tribunal had made a decision on a matter she did not appeal because it had been sent the wrong information package....more
Man questions paying child support for 19-year-old son
Family Maintenance Enforcement Program
We were contacted by a man who felt the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP) was operating unfairly by continuing to make him pay child support payments for his 19-year-old son....more
Man’s pension seized by Family Maintenance Program
Family Maintenance Enforcement Program
We were contacted by Mr. M who said he had been left penniless because all of his pension income was being seized by the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP)....more
Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
Although some of the cases we investigate involve relatively small sums of money, we are constantly reminded of how important those extra dollars can be for those on small, fixed incomes. For example, one woman asked us for assistance when the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance reduced her disability income by $200 because her son was temporarily out of her care....more
Disabled person penalized for misplaced support cheques
Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
Ms. Q has power of attorney for her severely disabled daughter. She misplaced a number of her daughter’s disability cheques and then deposited them in the bank sometime later when she found them. Ms. Q supported her daughter from her savings in the interim....more
Ministry refused to pay moving costs
Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
Sometimes as a part of an investigation, questions may come up regarding government policies and processes that, in our view, may include built-in obstacles that hinder service to the public and achieving the goals of the program.
This was the case when Mr. W came to us to complain that the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance would not reimburse him for moving expenses because he had failed to file certain documentation within a specified timeframe when claiming the expenses. He said he had not been told there was a particular time limit....more
Long-time debt comes back to haunt couple
Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
Ms. Y contacted us to complain that the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance treated her and her husband unfairly by not telling them they owed more than $5,000 to the government for approximately ten years, and that they believed they were now responsible for paying a significant amount of interest because they did not know about the debt....more