Fiona Crean announces finalists for City of Toronto Ombudsman’s Award
Sixteen City of Toronto staff are finalists for the first Ombudsman’s Award, which recognizes an individual or group who provided outstanding public service in proactively resolving complaints made to the Ombudsman.
The following members of City divisions and agencies have been nominated for the 2012 award:
- Casey Brendon, Director, Revenue Services, Robert Burlie, Manager, Road Operations, Transportation Services
- Lance Cumberbatch, Director, Investigation Services, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Lou Di Gironimo, General Manager, Toronto Water
- Kimberley Francis, Caseworker, Children’s Services
- Ismail Ibrahim, Legal Counsel, Toronto Community Housing Corporation
- Collette Lennie, Customer Service Representative, 311 Toronto
- John Longarini, Manager, Revenue Services
- Heather MacVicar, General Manager, Employment and Social Services
- Atul Medhekar, IT Co-ordinator, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration
- Gus Michaels, Manager, Investigation Services, Municipal Licensing and Standards
- Richard Mucha, Manager of Enforcement, Municipal Licensing and Standards
- Wendy Quaintance, Manager, Revenue Services
- Karen Smith, Administrative Assistant, Housing Connections, Toronto Community Housing Corporation
- Joan Taylor, Director, Executive Management, City Manager’s Office
- Maria Vlahos, Law Clerk, Legal Services
“I am thrilled to be able to recognize these members of the Toronto Public Service for their efforts in solving problems and improving service to the residents of Toronto,” says Ombudsman Fiona Crean.
The nominees each met one or more of the four criteria required for nomination:
- Demonstrates leadership in Ombudsman problem solving and good customer service
- Initiates innovative approaches to promote Ombudsman dispute resolution
- Encourages the application of system-wide problem solving
- Provides exceptional responsiveness and co-operative service during an Ombudsman complaint inquiry or investigation
Residents of Toronto, senior public servants and members of the Ombudsman’s staff submitted names for this award over the past few months. These submissions were then reviewed by the Ombudsman’s office.
A panel of judges chaired by Ombudsman Fiona Crean will evaluate the nominations and choose the award recipients for 2012. The panel consists of the following seven community leaders:
- Sabina Ali, Project Co-ordinator, Thorncliffe Park Neighbourhood Women’s Group
- Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO, Toronto Community Foundation
- Angela Coke, Associate Deputy Minister, HR Ontario
- Winnie Ng, Chair in Social Justice and Democracy, Ryerson University
- Gord Nixon, President and CEO, Royal Bank of Canada
- John Tory, Radio Host, Newstalk 1010
- Carol Wilding, CEO, Toronto Board of Trade
Nominees will be acknowledged and honoured on June 1 and winners will receive the Ombudsman’s Award at a ceremony on September 7.