35,000+ Ontarians sought help with more services than ever from Ontario's Ombudsman

Annual Report 2025-2026: Progress in serving Indigenous people, children and youth, Francophones, and adults with developmental disabilities

TORONTO, June 25, 2026 June 25, 2026) The Ontario Ombudsman fielded more than 35,000 cases this past year about a wide range of public services – a new record in a period of steadily increasing demand for the Office's independent, non-partisan assistance.

The Office's 2025-2026 Annual Report, released today, highlights the results it achieved in handling 35,023 complaints and inquiries across all areas of its jurisdiction.

"This number represents a new record in case volume – more people seeking our help across more of the public sector than ever before. Not only that, it comes on top of successive year-over-year increases: 43% in the past three years alone," Acting Ombudsman Barbara Finlay writes in the report.

"I can attest that in my more than 20 years with this Office, we have never seen such broad demand for our services. Our role as a non-partisan democratic institution – with expertise in navigating bureaucracy and promoting fairness – has never been more important," says Ms. Finlay, who assumed the role of Acting Ombudsman on April 1 after former Ombudsman Paul Dubé completed his 10-year term.

"Thanks to the thousands of individuals who took the time to bring their complaints to us and the public servants who worked with us to find solutions, we have been able to improve the system for the benefit of all Ontarians," she says.

The report highlights record or near-record complaint volumes in several sectors including child protection services, youth justice centres, school boards, tribunals, and social benefits programs.

Correctional facilities continued to be the top source of complaints to the Ombudsman but declined to 5,960 from the previous year's peak of 6,870. "We continued to call attention to the ongoing crisis of overcrowding in correctional facilities and its deleterious effects on inmates and staff," Ms. Finlay writes. Ombudsman staff also intensified efforts to hear from affected individuals and staff firsthand, in visits to correctional facilities.

The report provides details of the Office's work across all areas of its mandate, including updates on ongoing and completed investigations. In November 2025, the Ombudsman's report, Lost in Transition, focused on the systemic problem of adults with developmental disabilities being inappropriately housed in hospitals because of a lack of adequate community-based supports. The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and the Ministry of Health accepted all 24 recommendations in the report.  "Our Special Ombudsman Response Team has also shared learnings from this important investigation in several presentations throughout the developmental services sector," Ms. Finlay writes.

In addition to its work helping children across all areas of its mandate, the Office saw an increase in complaints about services provided to children and youth in care. This year's 2,552 complaints and inquiries included services provided by children's aid societies, residential licensees and youth justice facilities.

Ombudsman staff also served 460 individuals in French with complaints about a variety of provincial and broader public sector concerns, while the French Language Services Unit dealt with 266 cases related to difficulties in accessing services in French under the French Language Services Act. "This year we reached more French speakers than ever before and we remain committed to promoting and protecting French language rights across Ontario," the Acting Ombudsman noted.

In March, Ombudsman Ontario also launched its Indigenous Services Plan, developed with the help of Indigenous woman-owned and operated consulting firm Tawi:ne Consulting Inc. through a series of engagements with Indigenous groups and individuals across the province. It sets out five core commitments, including expanding Indigenous cultural competencies among Ombudsman staff and seeking ways to use the Office's expertise to address systemic issues in support of reconciliation. The Annual Report details how the Office helped Indigenous individuals and communities with a diverse array of concerns, including related to disability support, school boards, funding for post-secondary education, and natural resources management.

Alongside today's Annual Report, Ms. Finlay also released a report on the Office's investigation into five direct payment programs initiated by the Ministry of Education to support families during school disruptions between 2020 and 2023. The investigation, initiated by former Ombudsman Dubé, was prompted by hundreds of complaints from parents and guardians who were denied payments for their children because someone else had already applied for and received the money. The Ministry has accepted all 14 recommendations in the report, Catching Up on Fairness, which are intended to ensure that any future programs are adequately planned and resourced, and fairly administered.  

"All Ontarians can rely on us as a stable, independent voice that they can turn to in uncertain times," Acting Ombudsman Finlay points out. "We are here to listen, to get to the root of problems, to find fair solutions, and to promote good governance."

About Ombudsman Ontario: The Ombudsman, established in 1975 to help protect the rights of all Ontarians, is an independent and impartial officer of the Legislature. In the past 50 years, the Ombudsman's Office has handled more than 1 million cases and made more than 1,300 recommendations to improve public services, benefiting millions of people across the province. Under the Ombudsman Act, the Ombudsman reviews and resolves complaints and inquiries from the public about provincial government organizations, as well as French language services, child protection services, municipalities, universities and school boards.

See also: Annual Report Facts and Highlights, at www.ombudsman.on.ca 

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SOURCE Ombudsman Ontario

For more information, contact: Linda Williamson, Director of Communications: [email protected]