Ombudsman calls for “urgent” reform of Ontario’s correctional system and stronger respect for rights

Press Release

(TORONTO – June 25, 2025) Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today called on the province to take urgent action to address a “growing crisis” in its overcrowded correctional facilities.

Citing a 55% increase in complaints about correctional facilities in the past year (6,870 cases), and deteriorating conditions that he and his staff observed, the Ombudsman said “meaningful, systemic reform” that respects the rights of inmates is a “moral imperative.”

“While this sector has long been our top source of complaints, the nature and severity of what we are hearing – and witnessing firsthand during our visits – demand urgent attention,” he says in his 10th Annual Report, which coincides with his office’s 50th anniversary.

“When we fail to uphold the basic dignity of people in custody, we do more than inflict harm – we erode public trust, degrade working conditions for staff, and weaken the very foundations of our justice system.”

Earlier this month, Ombudsman Dubé launched an investigation into the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s response to a two-day incident at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in which inmates were ordered to strip to their underwear and sit facing a wall with their wrists zip-tied. He reports that he recently visited Maplehurst with staff, who also visited 11 other facilities in 2024-2025.

Cases about youth justice centres – which Ombudsman staff visited to meet individually with hundreds of young detainees and hear their concerns – also more than doubled in 2024-2025, to a record 423 from 202 the previous year.

In total, the Ombudsman received 30,675 cases – complaints and inquiries – in fiscal 2024-2025, a 30-year high. When changes in technology and the office’s mandate are taken into account, this is an all-time record, he notes: “I can confidently report that in this milestone year, we have helped more Ontarians with more issues than in any other time in our history.”

Ontario established an Ombudsman in 1975 to “ensure the protection of our citizens against arbitrary judgment or practices,” he notes. “Over the past five decades, we have remained a steadfast advocate for transparency, fairness, and accountability, working alongside democratic institutions across Canada and around the world.”

The report highlights significant trends and individual case results (see Facts and Highlights for more), and other key developments in the past year. For example:

• Cases received by the Children and Youth Unit, established in 2019 to specialize in cases involving children’s services and child-centred work, reached a record 2,129.
• The Ombudsman launched a new investigation into child protection agencies’ practice of placing young children and teens – many with complex special needs – in unlicensed settings (e.g., hotels, motels and offices). Ombudsman staff also helped individual families who felt they had no choice but to give up custody of children with special needs to agencies in order to get residential care for them – a persistent issue first investigated by the office in 2005.
• The Ombudsman’s report on cases of adults with developmental disabilities who are inappropriately housed in hospitals will be released later this year; meanwhile, Ombudsman staff helped several individuals find appropriate residential placements.
• The Ombudsman’s office received a record 3,908 cases about municipalities. In many of these, he and staff promoted best practices for fair, transparent and accountable processes and policies. They also published 35 reports and letters regarding complaints about 66 closed municipal meetings.
• Mr. Dubé established the Ombudsman’s Award for Good Governance “to reflect tangible actions by public sector bodies that have resulted in exemplary administration.” The first award went to the Ontario Provincial Police in February for improvements in its delivery of French language services. Others in the provincial and municipal sectors will be designated in the coming months.
• The office is co-developing an Indigenous Services Plan with Indigenous partners that will reflect its “commitment to building trust and advancing reconciliation through our daily work,” Mr. Dubé writes.
• The Ombudsman made five submissions to government in the past year, proposing or commenting on changes to legislation. Several of his proposals were accepted.

About Ombudsman Ontario: The Ombudsman, established in 1975 to help protect the rights of all Ontarians, is an independent and impartial officer of the Legislature. In the past 50 years, the Ombudsman’s Office has handled more than 1 million cases and made more than 1,300 recommendations to improve public services, benefiting millions of people across the province. Under the Ombudsman Act, the Ombudsman reviews and resolves complaints and inquiries from the public about provincial government organizations, as well as French language services, child protection services, municipalities, universities and school boards.

See also: Annual Report, Facts and Highlights and Ombudsman’s Remarks.

For more information, contact:

Linda Williamson, Director of Communications:

lwilliamson@ombudman.on.ca

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