(Ontario Ombudsman Taking A Hands Off Approach To Systemic Issues With Ontario’s School Boards) Just as the Ministry of Education’s probe of more mishandling of public funds at the York Region District School Board becomes clearer, the Ontario Ombudsman has sent a strong message to tax payers that it will
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Mind Bending Politics: Education Crisis Grows As Ontario’s Ombudsman Nowhere To Be Found
(Ontario’s Ombudsman Paul Dube is Falling Short on The Provincial Education Crisis and May Not Be Following His Mandate) With media reports of students across this province being under supported almost on a weekly basis now, frustration with parents who are often approach the Ombudsman’s office on lack of compliance
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: An Unimaginable Choice: Trading Parental Rights for Care
A CBC freedom of information request to the Nova Scotia government has revealed a terrible reality for children with mental illness and their families. Children too ill for the province’s 15 group homes are housed in residential facilities. But between January 2011 and December 2016, 2,655 of those children were
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Ontario Ombudsman: A Watch Dog That Isn’t Watching PT.1
(Ontario’s Watch Dog Caught Not Watching) The Ontario Ombudsman’s office recently got new powers to investigate school boards, municipalities and universities. The early months of these new expanded powers has seen this office more run like a customer service wing of government rather than one with investigative powers to resolve issues. In fact, the […]
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Who do you complain to? New regulation expands complaints process but also adds confusion
Making a complaint within a health care setting has always been a delicate process. It used to be in home care the terms of your service suggested that if you complained too much, you could actually lose service. This may … Continue reading →
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Police Power
While the title of this post may seem a bit of a tautology, since the power of police on the streets is obvious, there are other arenas where they wield their influence in ways that may not be consistent with an open and democratic society. For example, police are known
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Police Are Such Sensitive Souls
Andre Marin, Ontario’s Ombudsman, found this out after announcing he was planning to investigate the province’s direction to police on de-escalating conflict situations in light of the police killing of Sammy Yatim. According to a report in The National Post, a Durham police detective, Dennis Scott, opened a Twitter account
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: Amanda Telford Is A Good Mother
Families of adult children with disabilities in Ontario, Canada, are in the news today. An Ottawa mother, Amanda Telford, ‘abandoned’ her son Phillip (aged 19) in the offices of Ontario Social Services and the lines in her tearful, exhausted face tell a story of frustration, isolation and lack of support
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Incorrigible Deb Matthews
That Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews, who presided over the Ornge scandal, remains in her portfolio in the new Wynne government is unfathomable to me. A woman of breathtaking incompetence who steadfastly refused all calls for her resignation as each sordid detail of corruption and sybaritic spending within the air
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Much left on health care agenda by prorogued parliament
The decision by Premier Dalton McGuinty to step down and shut down the provincial parliament leaves many questions about the future of Ontario’s health care. With no parliament, there will be no review of the Local Health Integration Networks, a … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Are “high hazard” nursing homes “efficient?”
In BC they have a ratings system for residential care homes, or what we would refer to as “long-term care” homes in Ontario. The ratings look at complaints and critical incidents and determine whether a home is low, medium or … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Seniors’ Care: What a difference an Ombudsperson can make
In February the British Columbia government received a 216-page report on seniors care. In it are 176 recommendations covering home care, assisted living and residential care. It is the second major report on senior’s care in that province since 2009. … Continue reading →
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