Premier Iain Rankin announced today, May 20, that Nova Scotia’s ombudsman William A. Smith has been reappointed to a second five-year term effective June 1.
We're Moving!
The Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman is moving to a new location in Park Lane Terraces on Spring Garden Road, Halifax.
Youth Opportunity
We are excited to announce on #NationalChildDay that we are looking to add to the Ombudsman Youth Council as we begin our 3rd year!
Career Opportunity
Visit the Nova Scotia government job page to read about a career opportunity with the Office of the Ombudsman:
In June 2017, an Ombudsman Representative noted several complaints had been received the previous month regarding the effectiveness of the complaint process at the Wood Street Centre (WSC).
It often falls to the Office of the Ombudsman to try to explain what may seem like a confusing government regulation or funding formula to a complainant. Or, more usefully, to persuade an administrator of a particular program to explain it to a complainant in a non-judgmental way.
In January 2019, two complainants contacted this Office to advocate for a sibling, who had been dealing with Housing Nova Scotia (HNS). The complainants and the sibling felt “wronged” by the actions of HNS related to the sibling’s residency which the family believed the sibling was paying rent-to-own.
The Final Report for the Child Death Review undertaken by this Office was issued in 2014 and the implementation of the recommendations have been monitored since that time. While many of the recommendations relate to policy development within the responding departments, there was one recommendation that was issued to all three responding departments.
Individuals sometimes find out about the services of the Office of the Ombudsman through the departments that they are dealing with. This is what occurred when an individual with complaints involving the Office of the Police Complaints Commission (OPCC) was referred to us by the Department of Justice.
Two separate individuals contacted this Office expressing concerns for the safety and well being of a senior who was living in the community. According to the individuals, they believed the senior was at-risk and as a result, they submitted complaints or referrals to Adult Protection.