OPP recognized for exemplary improvements to services in French
TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today announced a new award for public sector bodies that have demonstrated exemplary administrative practices – the Ombudsman's Award for Good Governance – as part of his office's 50th anniversary activities.
Awards will be given to selected organizations in three areas of the Ombudsman's mandate – provincial government bodies, broader public sector bodies (e.g., school boards, universities, children's aid societies), and municipalities, he announced.
The first award recipient is the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), for its efforts to enhance its provision of French language services. The Ombudsman chose to recognize the OPP because it fixed longstanding technical problems with issuing AMBER Alerts simultaneously in English and French, and because of its exemplary efforts to provide an "active offer" of service in French, as required under the French Language Services Act. These improvements were noted by French Language Services Commissioner Carl Bouchard in his latest annual report, published by the Ombudsman's office last December.
"The Ombudsman was established in 1975 to protect your rights – and that means we do much more than receive complaints and resolve administrative issues," Ombudsman Dubé said.
"When we find problems, either at the individual or systemic level, we recommend solutions to make public services work better. Organizations demonstrate the value of fairness, transparency, accountability, and a respect for rights when they put them into action – and it's only fitting to credit them for doing so."
Ombudsman Ontario has recognized exemplary practices by public servants and agencies throughout its history, he noted. "When government and public sector agencies implement our recommendations and improve their practices, everyone benefits.
"Issuing AMBER Alerts in French and English at the same time benefits public safety by getting information about missing children out to a wider audience," Mr. Dubé said. "For many years, Francophones were offered excuses when French versions of AMBER Alerts were delayed, of poor quality or nonexistent. But the OPP did the right thing and fixed the problem.
"On top of that, the OPP has demonstrated respect for the linguistic rights of Francophones by flying the Franco-Ontarian flag at detachments in designated areas, and having its French-speaking staff wear Franco-Ontarian flag pins to signal their ability to provide service in French."
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique thanked the Ombudsman for the recognition.
"With as many as 1.5 million French-speaking people in the Province of Ontario, it is vital for public safety that the OPP provide key services in both of Canada's official languages," said Commissioner Carrique. "We are grateful to Ombudsman Ontario for recognizing our continued improvement in our French-language capability, aimed at engaging and leveraging partnerships with Francophone communities."
The Ombudsman plans to announce more award recipients during the course of 2025.
Throughout this milestone year, Ombudsman Ontario is sharing information through its website, social media and a range of public outreach activities about the many ways its work has helped Ontarians over five decades, as well as the impact the Ombudsman institution has had and continues to have today.
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Backgrounders
About the Ombudsman's Good Governance Awards
Recognizing that actions taken by government agencies and public sector bodies can affect people's rights and have a tangible impact on their lives, the Ombudsman's Good Governance Awards are intended to encourage and recognize good administration, fair treatment, and the adoption of best practices. They reflect tangible actions that align with Ombudsman Ontario's vision of "a public sector that serves Ontarians in a way that is fair, accountable, transparent and respectful of their rights," and have resulted in exemplary administration.
The awards will be announced during the course of Ombudsman Ontario's 50th Anniversary year (2025). They will recognize good governance in three broad areas of the Ombudsman's jurisdiction:
- Provincial government bodies (ministries, agencies, tribunals, etc., including the application of the French Language Services Act)
- Municipalities and local boards
- Other broader public sector agencies and institutions within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction (children's aid societies, universities, school boards, etc.)
Recipients are selected by the Ombudsman from nominations made by Ombudsman Ontario staff based on their interactions with public sector bodies in the course of their work in investigating and resolving complaints from the public.
About Ombudsman Ontario's 50th Anniversary
In March 1975, Ontario became Canada's seventh province to announce the creation of an independent, impartial Ombudsman institution to protect the people's right to fair treatment by public bodies. The Ombudsman Act was passed in May that year, and on October 30, 1975, Arthur Maloney was sworn in as the first Ombudsman.
Since then, Ombudsman Ontario has handled more than 1 million complaints and inquiries and conducted hundreds of investigations, resulting in more than 1,300 recommendations. The vast majority of Ombudsman recommendations to improve public services have been implemented, benefiting millions of Ontarians.
Seven people have served as Ombudsman (a gender-neutral Swedish term that means "people's representative"):
- Arthur Maloney (term 1975-1978)
- Donald Morand (term 1979-1984)
- Daniel Hill (term 1984-1989)
- Roberta Jamieson (term 1989-1999)
- Clare Lewis (term 2000-2005)
- André Marin (term 2005-2015)
- Paul Dubé (term 2016-present)
The Ombudsman's mandate was expanded significantly in 2016 and 2019, and now extends to all provincial government bodies, municipalities, universities and school boards, as well as child protection services and French language services.
"The office of Ombudsman will be a necessary additional tool to the already extensive programme for the protection of civil rights which exists under the law of this province."
-Premier William Davis, after introducing the Ombudsman Act in March 1975
"The office of the Ombudsman as an institution to further protect the rights of man is an idea whose time has come."
-Arthur Maloney, after being sworn in as the first Ombudsman in October 1975
About the Ombudsman's 50th Anniversary logo
From its earliest days in 1975, the Office of the Ombudsman made it clear that its role is to stand for all the people of Ontario as a protector of their rights.
In his 1975-1976 Annual Report, the first Ombudsman, Arthur Maloney, used the image of a gryphon – a mythical animal that is half eagle, half lion – as his office's symbol, noting that the gryphon had been used by numerous cultures for centuries to signify a protector of human rights.
The original Ombudsman logo showed the gryphon seated amongst trilliums (Ontario's emblem) to signify Ontario's diverse population. "And thus, the Ombudsman represents protection for the social rights and cultural integrity of all," Maloney wrote.
To emphasize its legacy of 50 years of protecting the rights of all Ontarians, Ombudsman Ontario has incorporated a reimagined gryphon into its 50th anniversary logo.
SOURCE Ombudsman Ontario
For more information, contact: Linda Williamson, Director of Communications, [email protected], 416-319-7391
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