Our Commitments & Policies

Service Charter

Manitoba Ombudsman is committed to providing high-quality services to the public that reflect our values of service, integrity, respect, independence and excellence. This service charter reflects our values and expectations when working with complainants.

To the individuals who come to us with complaints:

Our commitment to you

At Manitoba Ombudsman, you have a right to:

• fair and unbiased service, process, and decisions in our investigations
• confidentiality and security of your personal information (we only share what is required to address or resolve your case)
• an explanation about our independent decisions related to your case, when permitted
• notification if we limit your services, including why and when the limitation will be reviewed.

When we can help with your matter, we will:

• reach out to you within three business days
• explain the process to address your concern and any action you must take
• explain how long it may take and what we can and cannot do
• attempt to pursue a fair resolution to the matter
• communicate with you regularly as the complaint is handled (a representative is assigned to every case)
• provide you with the outcome of your complaint and any decisions we make
• inform you if we get it wrong and how we will move forward

To meet your individual needs, we will:

• communicate in English or French and offer other interpretation services, if needed
• provide accommodations for persons with a disability, when requested
• work respectfully to understand your situation and needs
• help to complete your complaint or disclosure in writing, if you prefer more assistance

If you’re not sure Manitoba Ombudsman can help, we will:

• clearly explain our role and authority in person, by phone, or in writing
• guide you to other agencies that may help if we cannot

How we work together to serve you best

To help us help you, please:

• address your privacy, access, or fairness concern with the public body or trustee, before filing a complaint with us 
• tell us if your situation is urgent and your personal safety or well-being is at risk
• provide requested information to support your complaint within agreed timeframes (electronic versions are preferred)
• keep us up to date if your circumstances change or you have new information
• inform us if you have specific service needs (e.g., interpreter, accessibility accommodation, etc.)

To have a safe and respectful working relationship with us, we ask that you:

• be willing to listen to and respect our representatives and their time
• cooperate with representatives when you are asked to modify or stop specific behaviour
• understand that the result you seek may not be achieved through Manitoba Ombudsman

We want to hear from you

We value and welcome your feedback. Please tell us if you think we provided good service or if we did not meet our commitment to you in this service charter.

• As a first step, raise your concern with the representative who worked with you on your question, complaint, or disclosure
• If you remain unsatisfied, you may contact the manager overseeing your complaint who will consider your service concern, decide the appropriate course of action, and inform you.

You are welcome to send us your service feedback at any time: 

feedback@ombudsman.mb.ca

View our contact page for other ways to reach us.

Respectful Cooperation in the Complaint Process

Manitoba Ombudsman wants to hear and understand your complaint and provide the best possible service. To do that we have processes that guide our work. When you make a complaint to our office, we will speak to you to understand your concerns, identify what we can review, and decide the next steps. Our service charter above outlines how we will approach our work and what we may need from you. The information below explains how you can cooperatively participate in our process and help us handle your complaint as effectively as possible. If you require an accessibility service accommodation, translation or other support to participate in our process, please let us know.

How you can help us assess or handle your complaint:

1. Provide clear and concise information about the reason you contacted our office. Follow our instructions on how to make a complaint and use our complaint forms. If you use AI to communicate with our office, read this information.
2. Have a phone call or in-person meeting to discuss your complaint. A service accommodation for people with disabilities can be arranged to support this.
3. Respond and/or provide specific, required information when asked by our team so we can clarify, confirm or move forward on your complaint. If you do not respond or provide the information we need, we may not be able to proceed, and the case would be closed.
4. Limit your communications to our office if asked. Our team will explain our process, what the next steps will be and if we require any information or communication.
5. Understand that we are an impartial office. We do not advocate or act on behalf of anyone and our work is limited to what we are allowed to review under legislation.
6. Understand we may not be able to help with every concern or provide the specific outcome you are looking for. If we cannot help, we will explain why.
7. Communicate and act respectfully. Do not insult, threaten, harass or shout at our staff.
8. Not record our conversations without consent. The Ombudsman is required by legislation to work in private. We can work with you on ways to document and share information while protecting security of information and confidentiality.

Uncooperative and disrespectful behavior will impact how you engage with our service. When this behavior occurs, we will first try to resolve the issue with you by:

• Telling you what behaviour is affecting our ability to work with you and asking you to change that behaviour
• Changing how and when you communicate with our office
• Limiting conversations and topics so we can stay focused on the specific complaint we have identified to work with you on.

If the behaviour does not change or the situation doesn’t improve, we may limit or pause our services with you. We will communicate what would be required for service to resume and when that may be possible

Our goal is to work collaboratively with you and provide the best possible service. Thank you for working with us to keep the complaint process respectful, focused, and effective.

Code of Conduct of Manitoba Ombudsman Employees

Our employees demonstrate the values of ethical public service through their actions. Manitoba Ombudsman employees are expected to:

• Contribute to maintaining a respectful and safe workplace
• Provide courteous, respectful service without bias or prejudice
• Uphold confidentiality
• Identify and manage any perceived or real conflicts of interest
• Act with integrity both on and off duty to always reflect the values and principles of the Manitoba Ombudsman
• Carry out work with rigour and sound judgement to meet performance standards
• Demonstrate political impartiality and neutrality in their work to support the independence of the office
• Manage public resources ethically and effectively

Ombudsman Expense Reports

2026/27

April 1, 2026 – June 30, 2026 [PDF]

23e86fcca3960dd1e4124ca25e672384

Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026 [PDF]

Oct 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025 [PDF]

July 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025 [PDF]

April 1, 2025 – June 31, 2025 [PDF]

2024/25

January 1, 2025 – March 31, 2025 [PDF]

October 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024 [PDF]

July 1, 2024 – September 30, 2024 [PDF]

April 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024 [PDF]

Privacy & Technology

Manitoba Ombudsman has developed this site as a public resource for individuals and organizations. Our website uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to help protect information submitted through online forms. Information provided through online forms is transmitted securely to Manitoba Ombudsman for processing and is not retained on the website. If you choose to provide us with personal information via email or by using our online complaint forms, we will only use the information you provide to respond to your message or to help us deal with your complaint. If necessary, to exercise functions and duties under The Ombudsperson Act, The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, The Personal Health Information Act or The Public Interest Disclosure Act, or if otherwise required by law, we may share select personal information with other authorized persons.

Manitoba Ombudsman is testing the use of secure artificial intelligence tools to support some aspects of our work. AI tools are not used to make decisions, determine outcomes, or exercise discretion in complaint assessments, investigations, findings, or recommendations. Manitoba Ombudsman uses statistical reports to analyze activity on its website. We may collect, retain, and use statistical information about website visits to help improve the site. The information collected is aggregated and does not personally identify individual visitors. Statistical information may include the number of visitors, pages visited, how visitors were referred to the website, and the amount of time spent on the site. The Manitoba Ombudsman website includes links to other sites. When a link is followed, you leave our website and your use of any other website is no longer subject to our privacy policy, but rather those of the other websites you visit.