Can we help you ? (FAQ)

“Ombudsman” is a word of Swedish origin that emerged in 1806 and that meant spokesperson or representative. In Scandinavian countries, an ombudsman is the « magistrat chargé de défendre les droits du citoyen ». In Quebec, the ombudsman is a precursor to the protecteur du citoyen, in other words, a person whose duty is to defend the rights of citizens. For the Ville de Gatineau, the ombudsman is considered an independent mediator whose mandate is to address complaints from citizens made against the municipal administration.

The Ombudsman de Gatineau reports directly to the Municipal Council, which ensures independence from the municipal administration.

No. The ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to the city administration. The administration can choose to accept, modify or refuse a recommendation. The recommendations are non-binding.However, in some cases, the ombudsman may intervene if they are able to prove a mistake has been made or that there has been a breach. In such situations, the ombudsman acts as mediator and the administration can decide to reconsider its decision and take corrective action. The final decision is always made by the administration.

No,

The Ombudsman de Gatineau does not have the power to investigate a decision made by the Council or a Council committee, nor does it have the power to investigate the actions of an elected representative

The Ombudsman de Gatineau came about following a Municipal Council resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of the members. The resolution No. CM-2006-802 was replaced by the adoption of the resolution No. CM-2019-100, during a regular Municipal Council meeting held on February 19 2019. The Ombudsman de Gatineau’s office is currently composed of an ombudsman and an administrative assistant.

The term of office is of three years and the term may be renewed once. The ombudsman may resign at any time by providing a written notice to the Municipal Council. Lean more about the staff of the Ombudsman de Gatineau by visiting our « About us – Team » page!

The ombudsman is appointed by members of the Municipal Council every three years. Ms. Marilyne Caron has held the title of the ombudsman of Gatineau since August 28 2019. Ms. Caron was reappointed in August 2022 for a three-year term.

The Ombudsman de Gatineau is an administrative measure of last resort for citizens who feel they have been wronged by a decision made by the municipal administration or for citizens who are dissatisfied with a service provided by the municipal administration.

Since April 2020, the Gatineau Ombudsman’s Office is composed of an ombudsman and an administrative assistant. Lean more about the staff of the Ombudsman de Gatineau by visiting our « About us – Team » page!

Once a request is received, the Ombudsman de Gatineau sends acknowledgement of receipt and carries out a preliminary examination to determine if the request is admissible while taking into account the powers given to the Ombudsman de Gatineau under resolution No. CM-2019-100

If the complaint is not accepted, the Ombudsman de Gatineau offers information and referral services and will assign a case number to you. The Ombudsman de Gatineau can carry out the following:

• Inform you of the steps to follow to make sure you have exhausted all your administrative recourses;
• Refer you to an external resource;
• Refer you to the appropriate municipal service.

If your complaint is accepted, the ombudsman will gather the information required to examine your file and will carry out one of the following:

• Intervene to address a problem;
• Investigate to determine if your rights have been infringed upon or if you have been treated unfairly.

An administrative investigation report will be provided to you and the appropriate departments. Generally, the administrative investigation report’s conclusion states whether there has been a breach on behalf of the municipal administration, whether regulations have been respected and whether you have been treated fairly in respect to your file. Recommendations could be made to senior management in the context of continuously improving the quality of municipal services or to prevent such situation from happening again.

The Ombudsman de Gatineau is a measure of last resort. You must have first exhausted all of the following administrative recourses:

• File a first request with the 311 Non-urgent call centre to inform the Ville de Gatineau of the problem:
• If your request has not been addressed within a reasonable timeframe, file a second request with the 311.
  • File a second request if your first request has been addressed but the problem remains, or if you are still dissatisfied.

As you wait for your requests to be processed, we recommend that you reach out to the direction of your local service centre to inform them of the situation and to get a follow-up.

• Once you have followed these steps, if your problem persists, if you are dissatisfied with the action taken or if you feel you have been wronged, contact us and we will immediately examine your file.

No. The Ombudsman de Gatineau cannot intervene if your complaint is against a Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) officer or any other police force. To file a complaint against a police officer from a Quebec police force: https://comite.deontologie.gouv.qc.ca/en/the-comite.html

Notwithstanding the above, the Ombudsman de Gatineau has established an internal process with the Director of the SPVG whereby the latter is notified of inadmissible requests. The Ombudsman de Gatineau can act as a liaison and refer you to the person in charge of professional standards and internal affairs of the SPVG. Depending on your preference and with your consent, we can also forward your contact information to the officer in charge so that he or she can contact you.

No. The Ombudsman de Gatineau cannot intervene if your file is a litigated matter.

• For more information: What should I do if I receive… (in French only)
• To contact the Municipal Court: https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=guichet_municipal/cour_municipale/pour_joindre_cour_municipale&ref=navigation-secondaire;
• Read the Éducaloi information capsule;
• For free legal information, referral and support services: Outaouais Community Justice Center (OCJC)

No. The Ombudsman de Gatineau cannot intervene, as this falls outside its scope

• To file a complaint against a local health care institution: Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais;
• For free and confidential assistance and help filing a complaint: Centre d’assistance et d’accompagnement aux plaintes de l’Outaouais.
• As a second recourse, if you are still dissatisfied, you may reach out to the Protecteur du citoyen du Québec.

You have one year from the time you became aware of your issue to file a complaint with the Ombudsman de Gatineau. However, we recommend that you file the complaint as soon as possible.

The Ombudsman de Gatineau will inform you of the admissibility of your complaint within 30 days or less.

Yes, as per section 31 of the resolution No. CM-2019-100, the ombudsman, his employees and any experts he retains must respect the confidential nature of any information brought to their attention in the performance of their duties. The ombudsman’s files are exempted from the Access to Information Act.

Yes, all our services are free of charge.