Meet Ontario's new ombudsman (Toronto Sun)

Kevin Connor
Toronto Sun
April 2, 2016

TORONTO - Paul Dubé took the oath of office Friday to become the new Ontario Ombudsman.

He is the seventh person to hold the title since the office was established in 1975.

The province’s independent watchdog handles more than 20,000 complaints a year concerning the Ontario government and public sector bodies.

Here’s our Q and A with Dubé:

Question: What are you looking forward to in the new position?

Answer: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to serve the people of Ontario as their Ombudsman. Since entering the Ombudsman field, I have always had great admiration and respect for the work done by this office. It is a dream come true for me to become Ontario’s Ombudsman.”

Question: How will you improve public services?

Answer: “In terms of the quality of the work being done, the procedures being followed and the dedication to assisting the people of Ontario, it is business as usual at Ombudsman Ontario, We will continue to be effective by working with stakeholders to solve problems and eliminating irritants between the citizens of Ontario and their government.”

The Ombudsman now has oversight of new jurisdictions such as municipalities and school boards ... how is this being addressed?

Answer: “We are taking steps to reach out to new stakeholders. We will notice patterns and trends and look for corrective action.

“The better our relationships with stakeholders, that is, the more trust and credibility we have with them the more effective we can be. That requires being not only independent and impartial, but fair and reasonable. The expansion of our jurisdiction is a fantastic opportunity to build new, productive relationships and continue to be an agent of positive change,”

Question: Can the public expect the office to be one that is easy to access and get results?

Answer: “The role of an Ombudsman is to make things better for citizens by getting their problems with government administration solved as quickly as possible, at the lowest level possible, and in the most satisfactory manner possible. Ombudsman staff are experienced at pointing people in the right direction to resolve their issues, but we are also here to help them when those avenues are exhausted, or if there is a broader issue that warrants investigation.”