About us

Ombuds-person

It’s a strange word, but an important service.

We assist with and investigate complaints from members of the public about the administration of government programs and services. Whether it’s a delay in receiving service or a disagreement with a decision made, we impartially listen and work to find fair solutions to problems that come to us. Under BC’s new whistleblower protection law (the Public Interest Disclosure Act) we also investigate allegations of wrongdoing and reprisal brought forward by current and former provincial government employees. Finally, we share our expertise in promoting fairness through educational workshops, webinars, guides and other resources with public sector organizations. Our services are free and confidential.

We help public sector organizations be more fair and accountable by:

Listening, assessing and responding to enquiries and complaints from the public
Educating citizens and public organizations about how to be fair in the delivery of services
Conducting thorough, impartial and independent investigations
Resolving complaints and recommending improvements to policies, procedures and practices
Reporting publicly to bring attention to issues that impact the public

We receive between 7,000 and 8,000 complaints a year.

We have over 40 years of experience investigating complaints.

We oversee more than 1,500 public sector organizations.

The laws that govern our work

There are two laws that set out what we are able to investigate and how.

We are part of a global community committed to fairness

The International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), established in 1978, is the only global organisation for the cooperation of more than 200 independent Ombuds institutions from more than 100 countries worldwide. While statutory mandates vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, generally the role of Ombuds institutions is to protect people against violation of rights, abuse of powers, unfair decisions and maladministration. Ombuds play an increasingly important role in improving public administration while making government’s actions more open and its administration more accountable to the public.