Meet Our Leadership Team
Kwame Addo, Ombudsman
Kwame Addo is Toronto’s Ombudsman. He and his team promote fairness and work to hold the City accountable to the people it serves. Kwame believes that everyone deserves fair treatment from their local government and has the right to speak up if they don’t receive it.
Kwame’s more than 30-year career is widely recognized in the ombudsman community. He is committed to advancing equity and fairness, breaking down barriers and amplifying the voices of people from underserved groups.
He has served as Ombudsperson at Toronto Metropolitan University, Director of Investigations and Interim Ombudsman with Ombudsman Toronto and investigator with Ombudsman Ontario. He has held roles on the Board of Directors and Education Committee of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR). Kwame has also been a faculty member, panelist and moderator for the Osgoode/Forum of Canadian Ombudsman Essentials for Ombuds certificate program and served on the City of Toronto Mayor’s Committee on Community and Race Relations.
In 2022, Kwame became a SOAR medal recipient, which “honours those who have made a significant contribution and demonstrated their commitment to the field of administrative justice.”
His seven-year term as Toronto’s Ombudsman began in August 2021.
Janina Fogels, Deputy Ombudsman
Janina Fogels is Ombudsman Toronto’s Deputy Ombudsman. She joined our Housing Unit in 2023 as one of its first investigators. She brings considerable experience in investigations, human rights advocacy and public service to the role of Deputy Ombudsman.
In her investigations work, Janina has worked with municipalities across Ontario, from townships to large cities, as well as municipal employers including police and fire departments. She has also worked with public post-secondary institutions.
Prior to joining Ombudsman Toronto, Janina also served as Legal Manager and Senior Counsel at the Human Rights Legal Support Centre, a legal clinic serving clients across Ontario. For more than 12 years, Janina worked on the front lines as an advocate for individuals and groups seeking human rights advice, bringing an empathetic and trauma-informed approach to her work. Earlier in her career, she practised labour law at a boutique firm in Toronto. Janina has participated in hundreds of mediations and alternative dispute resolution negotiations throughout her career, helping clients resolve conflicts and achieve positive outcomes.
Janina holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto. As a lifelong Torontonian, she is committed to advancing fairness, accountability and responsive public service.
Reema Patel, Deputy Ombudsman, Housing
Reema Patel is Toronto’s first Deputy Ombudsman, Housing. A lifelong Toronto resident, she brings a wealth of experience and perspective to the role.
Reema has spent more than 10 years in provincial and municipal government, working in administrative law and social housing policy. She is also no stranger to the Ombudsman world, having previously served as an investigator with Ombudsman Toronto for five years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Windsor.
Reema is also an author. In 2022, Reema published her debut novel, Such Big Dreams. It is a story about gentrification, forced evictions and the search for belonging, and was informed by her work in the youth non-profit sector and human rights advocacy in Mumbai.
Luke Brown, Investigations Counsel
Luke Brown is Ombudsman Toronto’s Investigations Counsel. He has a long history in the Ombudsman field, in which he has worked for over 13 years. In 2024, Luke served as Acting Deputy Ombudsman, Housing, and prior to that, was an investigator with Ombudsman Toronto.
Before joining Ombudsman Toronto, Luke worked at a Toronto community legal clinic representing clients facing financial insecurity, including representing tenants in housing disputes, served as an investigator at Ombudsman Ontario, and worked in accountability and governance in West Africa and the Philippines.
Luke is a lawyer by training with a degree in biochemical engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science from Western University, and a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University.
