How We Work

Have you ever wondered what happens once you’ve made a complaint to Ombudsman Toronto? Here is a step-by-step guide to our complaint handling and investigation process.

Complaint Intake and Early Resolution

Step 1

A member of our team will listen to your concerns and ask questions to understand your complaint and whether it falls within our scope.

Step 2

If the issue you are facing is outside of our scope or you have not gone through the City of Toronto’s complaints process yet, we may refer you back to the City.

Step 3

If it is within our scope and you have gone through the City’s complaints process, we will ask for consent to contact the City to learn more.

Step 4

We will then contact the City to ask questions and gather more information.

Step 5

If the complaint is complex, one of our Investigators will take over the file. We will keep you and the City informed throughout.

Step 6

We will inform you when we close the case. We will explain what we did, our findings, and anything we told the City.

Formal Investigations

Step 7

After reviewing the case, the Investigator may determine that a formal investigation is needed.

Step 8

If so, the Ombudsman will provide the City with a formal notice and we will launch the investigation.

Step 9

An investigation team will begin gathering and analyzing all necessary evidence.

Step 10

Once the investigation is complete, we will let you, the City, and any other complainants know.

Step 11

We will issue a report with our findings and any recommendations we have for the City. We may also share the report with the public.

Step 12

We will monitor the City’s implementation of our recommendations until we are satisfied that they have been successfully applied.