The Complaint Process

Our early resolution and intake team responds to all calls, emails, mailed and in-person inquiries, complaints, and disclosures from the public. They receive formal complaints and answer general questions. If the complaint or disclosure is within our authority or jurisdiction, the team does an assessment to find out how we can help.

If you have not used all the options available to you through the public body you are complaining about, we may suggest taking those steps first. If a complaint is not within our authority or jurisdiction, we may make appropriate referrals or suggest other possible resources or options.

We aim to resolve your complaint as early as possible. We make inquiries, review documentation and work with you (the complainant) and public bodies to try to resolve the concern without a full investigation.

The ombudsman may open an investigation if the complaint is not able to be resolved or if it’s required by law. An investigator is assigned to the case. The public body or trustee and complainant are notified. Investigators plan and undertake investigation activities and findings are documented. In some cases, we may open ombudsman-initiated investigations for different reasons including areas of repeated complaints or where concerns suggest systemic maladministration.

When an investigation report is complete, details of the report are shared with the public body under investigation and the complainant. If the ombudsman believes the public would benefit from the report, or if publishing is required by law, it is published and posted to our website (except for whistleblower investigations which are kept confidential). If a report includes recommendations for a public body or trustee, we monitor implementation and follow up to ensure improvements are implemented.

For each complaint, the length of the resolution and investigation process depends on the complexity of the matter, the responsiveness of those involved, and the capacity of Manitoba Ombudsman at any point in time. We respect people’s time and what is at stake for them and continuously strive to improve our service delivery.