About Us
At Ombudsman Toronto, we hold the City of Toronto accountable to the people it serves—you.
What we do
We independently and confidentially review fairness issues about the City.
As an office of last resort, we usually only get involved after someone’s brought their concerns to the City and received a final response. We then review what happened, how the City responded and whether the process was fair.
If we find the City acted unfairly, we provide clear, practical recommendations to resolve the issue and improve services. We handle both individual complaints and systemic issues affecting the public.
Who can make a complaint
Anyone who interacts with City services can contact us, even if they don’t speak English or live in Toronto. If someone needs help, another person can make a complaint on their behalf, with their permission.
Our services are independent, confidential and free.
“You make a difference because you allow people an opportunity to be heard. And you remind a big publicly funded institution that policy impacts real people and that they can do better.”
— Member of the public
What you can expect from us
- Impartiality: We don’t take sides. We’re advocates for fairness, not for the City or the public.
- Guidance: When a complaint is not in our jurisdiction, we offer referrals to other resources.
- Accessibility: We make our services easy to access and offer interpretation services.
- Accountability: We identify unfairness and develop practical solutions.
- Transparency: We explain our process and how we reach our decisions, including our findings and any recommendations.
Learn more about our work
Public reports
Our public reports are the result of our investigations, usually involving complex systemic issues that require in depth exploration. These reports, and the findings and recommendations we make in them, hold the City accountable for its actions and help improve public services for everyone.
Case stories
Every day, we hear from people who believe they have been treated unfairly by the City. Case stories provide a window into the kinds of complaints we handle, and how we help make the City’s systems and services fairer for everyone.
Community engagement
A central part of our work is connecting with people in Toronto to listen and learn about the issues that are important to them. We value the trust that members of the public and communities throughout Toronto provide us, and we will continue to do our best to be deserving of that trust.
Meet the Ombudsman
Kwame Addo is Toronto’s Ombudsman. He and his team stand up for fairness, working to keep the City accountable to the people it serves. His seven-year term as Toronto’s Ombudsman began in August 2021.