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Administrative Reviews

Once a complaint has been received, it will be assessed to decide how the Office of the Ombudsman will proceed. The office gathers all relevant information and reviews the facts of the complaint.

If the complaint does not involve a provincial or municipal government department or agency, the complainant will be provided with appropriate referral information.

When a complaint involves a provincial or municipal government body, the office determines what steps the complainant has taken to have the complaint addressed. The Office of the Ombudsman considers it important that the government body be given the opportunity to initially address the complainant's concerns. As a result, the Ombudsman encourages the complainant to follow these internal avenues of appeal or resolution before the office will proceed.

The Office of the Ombudsman strives to address the majority of complaints through administrative reviews, rather than proceeding to investigations. These complaints usually result from miscommunication or misunderstanding of a government policy or procedure and can often be resolved by contacting the government representative to ensure both parties understand the problem and are therefore able to continue their working relationship.

Administrative Reviews also involve reviewing policies and procedures of the government body to see if they are being followed correctly. If this Office is not able to complete an Administrative Review within four weeks, a notification letter is sent to the Deputy Minister or Chief Executive Officer, advising them of the complaint.