Français

4. Look at other options

You may be able to take your complaint to other places depending on what it’s about.

Police

If you think a crime has been committed against you, you can report it to the police.

If you’ve been hurt or threatened, call 911.

If it’s not an emergency, but you think a crime is being committed, call your local police station.

Patient Ombudsman

The role of Ontario’s Patient Ombudsman is to investigate and resolve complaints about health care, without taking sides.

This includes complaints about long-term care homes.

The Patient Ombudsman calls itself an office of last resort. This means that it reviews complaints only after your home has had a chance to deal with the issue.

So before going to the Patient Ombudsman, you need to try to resolve the issue with your home. You can do this yourself or with the help of the Ministry.

If you do this and are not satisfied with the result, you can ask the Ombudsman to investigate. You must make your complaint in writing.

For more information:

They also offer video conferencing with sign language. Call or email them to ask for this option.

Professional colleges

To complain about a health-care professional who’s regulated, such as a doctor, nurse, or physiotherapist, contact the organization that regulates that person’s profession.

The names of these organizations often begin with the word “College”. For example, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario regulates doctors.

The Health Profession Regulators of Ontario has information for most colleges that govern health‑care professions. Call 416-986-0576 or visit regulatedhealthprofessions.on.ca.

To complain about a social worker, contact the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Call 1-877-828-9380 or visit www.ocswssw.org.

Human rights

If you think that you’ve been discriminated against, you may be able to take your complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO).

Discrimination includes being treated unfairly because of your:

  • age
  • disability
  • race or colour
  • creed, which means your religion or beliefs
  • citizenship, ancestry, ethnic origin, or place of origin
  • sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression
  • marital status or family status

For more information about making an application to the HRTO, visit https://tribunalsontario.ca/hrto or call:

Toll-free: 1-866-598-0322
TTY use Bell’s Relay Service: 1-800-855-0511

For more information about discrimination or for help or advice about making an application to the HRTO, contact the Human Rights Legal Support Centre.

Visit hrlsc.on.ca or call:

Toll-free: 1-866-625-5179
TTY: 1-866-612-8627

Previous page Next page