Winners of First Ombudsman Public Service Award Announced
Ombudsman Fiona Crean is delighted to present the City of Toronto’s first-ever Ombudsman Public Service Award to five city staff who provided residents with outstanding assistance in resolving their complaints about city services.
The winners are being honoured this morning during a ceremony at Toronto City Hall.
“By necessity,” says Fiona Crean “my investigations sometimes shine a light on areas where the City of Toronto has not offered residents fair and equitable treatment, or where it behaved in an arbitrary manner. But I have always wanted to recognize those public servants who have also provided exceptional service in resolving
complaints.”
The winners of the City of Toronto 2012 Ombudsman’s Award are:
- Lou Di Gironimo – General Manager, Toronto Water
- Ismail Ibrahim – Legal Counsel, Toronto Community Housing Corporation
- Heather MacVicar – General Manager, Toronto Employment & Social Services
- Atul Medhekar – IT Coordinator, Shelter Support and Housing Administration
- Wendy Quaintance-Collier – Manager, Revenue Services
The winners’ citations, together with accounts of their accomplishments, are available at www.ombudstoronto.ca
The winners were chosen by a jury of seven community leaders including Sabina Ali, Rahul Bhardwaj, Angela Coke, Gord Nixon, Winnie Ng, John Tory and Carol Wilding.
“These individuals have shown what can be done when public servants put the residents of Toronto first,” says John Tory “and don’t let jurisdiction or responsibility get in the way. They saw the problem in terms of how it affects a member of the public, not how it affects their agency or department.”
“The five winners are natural leaders who are setting a great example,” said Carol Wilding, President & CEO, Toronto Board of Trade. “They have not only shown an innovative and pro-active approach to problem solving, but have often followed up with the complainants to make sure they felt their problems were properly addressed.”
Information about the jury as well as the nomination criteria for The City of Toronto Ombudsman Public Service Awards is available at www.ombudstoronto.ca.