Designed as a deeper learning experience for all professionals, certificates are intensive, practice-based programs taught by faculty with real-world experience.
Essentials for Ombuds
Program Directors
Jay Chalke
Ombudsperson, Province of British Columbia
Sophie Petrillo
Ombudsman, Hydro One
Eligible for
Certificate
The Essentials for Ombuds is a five-day intensive training collaboration between the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman and Osgoode Professional Development.
The authoritative course for today’s Ombuds and similar investigating and dispute resolution roles.
Now in its 14th iteration, this unique program, both comprehensive and in-depth, is intended to meet the needs of recent appointees to the Ombuds role or Office, as well as providing those with more experience an opportunity to become conversant with both the theory and practice of the Ombuds role, wherever it is located.
You will develop a deeper understanding of the requirements and expectations for Ombuds by exploring and examining the myriad of evolving issues and challenges facing those who practice in the Ombuds field today, and by reviewing best practices of Ombuds across the country.
Please Note: This program will NOT be recorded. All modules must be viewed live.
What You’ll Learn
You will get practical tips and strategies on some of the key areas, including:
The initial handling of concerns and complaints
Effective early resolution techniques
Inquiries and investigations (gathering and assessing evidence, developing cooperative resolution techniques and preparing case summaries)
Trend analysis and own motion investigations
Choice of path – assessing the issues and possible paths
Dealing with human rights complaints against the Ombudsman and/or Ombudsman staff
Coping with difficult people: handling disrespect, anger or rage
Developing recommendations and appropriate remedies
Partner
Who Should Attend
Assistant/Deputy Ombuds, and Directors in Ombuds officers
Early Resolution Staff
Ombuds (working in legislated roles or in public and private sector organizations or associations established by policy, Charter, Order-in-Council, etc.)
Investigators/Senior Investigators in an Ombuds context
Legal or other specialized counsel to Ombuds Offices
Conflict Resolution Staff working in an Ombuds context
Dispute Resolution Officers
Fairness Commissioners/Fairness Practitioners
Integrity Commissioners
Citizens’ Representatives
Complaint-handling staff in both private and public sector organizations
Public Editors (at newspapers and other media outlets)
Faculty
Program Directors
Jay Chalke
Ombudsperson, Province of British Columbia
Sophie Petrillo
Ombudsman, Hydro One
Instructors
Kwame Addo
Ombudsman, City of Toronto
Joanna Bull
Senior Counsel, Ombudsman Ontario
Ian Darling
Chair, Condominium Authority Tribunal, Condominium Authority of Ontario; former Ombudsperson, Tarion Warranty Corporation; former Ombudsperson, Fanshawe College
Paul Dubé
Ombudsman, Ombudsman Ontario
Nora Farrell
Ombuds Practitioner, Ph.D., LL.M. (Osgoode)
Barbara Finlay
Deputy Ombudsman, Province of Ontario
Beth George
Senior Investigator, Alberta Ombudsman
Jane Griesdorf
The Writing Consultants
Ghizaal Haress
Visiting Scholar, Massey College and Faculty of Law, University of Toronto; former Ombudsperson, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Shirley R. Nakata
Ombudsperson for Students, University of British Columbia
David Paradiso
Deputy Ombudsperson, Office of the British Columbia Ombudsperson
Jennifer Moore Rattray
Chief Operating Officer, Southern Chief's Organization; Ministerial Special Representative, Call for Justice 1.7 Government of Canada (2023); former Executive Director, National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Michelle Rossi
Executive Director, Patient Ombudsman
Craig Thompson
Executive Director, Patient Ombudsman (Ontario)
Rachel Warren
Executive Director, Intake and Investigation, Office of the British Columbia Ombudsperson
Elisabeth Wilson
Chief of Staff, Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise
“The whole program was very well organized and super pertinent to the issues, challenges (and opportunities) all ombuds offices face in one form or another. Excellent choice of speakers!”
Agenda
The importance of the Ombudsman role
History of the Ombuds role and diversity of roles
Guiding principles and mandatory attributes
Independence
Impartiality
Accountability
Confidentiality
Administrative law framework (the foundation of Ombuds work)
Practical application of Ombuds theory (this session will include case studies and small group work)
Fundamental values: Respect and fairness
What is fairness?
The Fairness Triangle: Substantive, procedural, interpersonal
Preventative Ombudsing: Training, commenting on policy and bills (as appropriate)
Collaborative ombudsmanship and relationship building
Preparation of the case summary:
Importance of rigorous and scrupulous review and presentation of the facts determined, and conclusions reached
Framework of the summary (relevant issues, explanation of the investigation process, relevant evidence and credibility, standard tgo apply and assess fairness)
Length of summary and level of detail required
Intake
Written and oral concerns
Capturing the narrative and the essence of the issue(s)
Determining the basic information needed
Resolving concerns at intake
Confidentiality
Dealing with challenging situations (e.g. time and resource-intensive complaints, unrealistic expectations, persistent or difficulty behaviour and threats of violence) ·
Early and ongoing resolution techniques
Provision and/or clarification of information or explanation
Negotiation
Mediation
Shuttle diplomacy
Conflict coaching
Preliminary fact finding
Dealing with challenging behaviour from the public
Trauma-informed Ombuds practice
Putting mental health matters in perspective
Information and gathering assessment
Analyzing the concerns submitted:
Identifying the real issue(s)
Identifying those with an interest, and those who may be affected by the issue
Preparing the information gathering process:
Refining the issues
Preparing an investigation plan
Identifying the questions that must be addressed o Identifying those who may have relevant information
Identifying other sources of information (e.g. documents, statistics, policies and procedures and the media)
Preparing a potential interviewee list and determining the order of interviews
Deciding if and how to visit locations, premises, taking photographs, etc.
Dealing with inconsistent and incoherent information
Dealing with unwillingness to be interviewed (e.g. strategies for those without a subpoena power; cost benefit analysis on the use of subpoena for those who have that authority)
Assessment of evidence:
Direct and circumstantial information
Dealing with conflicting information
Determining the appropriate standard and burden of proof
Relevance, credibility, and weight of evidence
Determining if additional evidence is needed for assessing fairness or to confirm possible solutions
Cooperative resolution techniques
Open discussion and diplomacy
Mediation
Negotiation
Recommendations
Shaping credible and convincing recommendations
Determining appropriate remedies
The purpose of the remedy – specific solution to individual contentions and/or viable long-term solution to a systemic problem(s)
Exercise: Drafting and critiquing case summaries for use as reporting letters and for inclusion in reports
The “Capture” concept and how it applies to the Ombuds role
Trend analysis:
Discussion of the importance of having systems in place as it relates to the following:
Collecting statistics for the purpose of trend analysis
Using statistics correctly
Identifying potential systemic and system-wide issues
Process used by each Office for making decisions about how to best address
Keynote: “Speaking Truth to Power” from the Indigenous point of view
Indigenous approaches to complaints and ombuds work
Roundtable Panel Discussion:
“Speaking Truth to Power” The day concludes with a roundtable discussion with Ombuds who have had extensive experience with issuing reports and controversial and/or difficult circumstances. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion.
Effective writing for professionals
Report writing: Tips and techniques
A final assignment will be distributed at the end of Day 5. Participants must attend all 5 days and successfully complete the assignment to receive the Osgoode/FCO Certificate. Please note that this program will not be recorded.
Substitution of registrants is permitted prior to the start date of the program. If you are unable to find a substitute, a full refund is available if a cancellation request is received in writing 21 days prior to the start of the program. If a cancellation request is made with less than 21 days notice, a $250 administrative fee will apply per person. Within 7 days of the program start date, no refund is available. Payment is required to receive access to the program.
We will make every effort to present the program as advertised, but it may be necessary to change the date, location, speakers or content with little or no notice. In the event of program cancellation, York University’s and Osgoode Hall Law School’s liability is limited to reimbursement of paid fees.
As law evolves, we know how important it is to stay up to date. We also understand the financial implications of continuously upgrading your professional skills and knowledge. For more information on available options, including Job Grants, OSAP, please visit:
To receive the Osgoode/FCO Certificate, you must attend all 5 program days and successfully complete the assessment.
Mitch MacDonald
Program Review Analyst, Office of the Veterans Ombudsman
“All of the speakers were very knowledgeable and the organizers were on top of everything. I felt the days ran really smoothly. Bravo to everyone involved!”
CPD and Accreditation
OsgoodePD is an accredited provider with the LSO, the Law Society of BC and NY CLE Board. Select your location to view the eligible hours you may claim.
Are you a law graduate or an executive/senior professional with at least 5 years of specialized experience? Consider a full-time or part-time LLM degree.
Administrative Law
Application Open
Students typically complete the LLM in two years (6 terms).
Do you have an LLB/JD? Consider taking a single LLM course for deeper learning in a specific area of practice – all credits will apply towards a Professional LLM.
Unfortunately, no. Effective for all 2019 filings and subsequent years moving forward, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has replaced T2202A’s with the T2202. Under the new CRA definition and criteria, our CLE short courses and certificate programs do not meet the definition of ‘qualifying educational program’. For this reason, we are unable to issue you a T2202. For more information, please visit the CRA site.
Program pages and brochures will include specific information including key dates, or see our Refunds & Cancellation Policies page.
Once a program reaches capacity, a waitlist will be created. This does not guarantee your registration in the program; however, it places you on a priority contact list. If any spots become available, you may be notified by email or phone to confirm if you would like to proceed with the registration. Once contacted, you will typically be given 24 hours to confirm your interest. If you do not confirm interest within the provided timeframe, you will be removed from the waitlist and the next person will be contacted.
A selection of our Certificates are eligible for OSAP funding.
Please note the following exceptions that may affect OSAP funding eligibility for our certificates:
Students receiving Second Career funding for a micro-credential during their study period are ineligible;
Although grants will not be converted to loans, a grant may become repayable if a student withdraws, is determined to be overpaid in grant funding, or income cannot be verified within one year;
A student cannot receive OSAP for micro-credential assistance for their study period if it overlaps with another micro-credential study period in which they are concurrently receiving OSAP for micro-credential funding. However, students may overlap their micro-credential study period with a study period that is part of a different full- or part-time program that they are concurrently receiving funding for through Full-Time OSAP or Part-Time OSAP, provided that OSAP funding was not assessed for the micro-credential course(s) through a Full-Time or Part-Time OSAP application.
NOTE: In order to obtain access to the program, full payment is required at least 1 business day prior to the first module of the program.
Job Grants
The Canada-Ontario Job grant may be applicable to employers seeking to train their staff. To find out if your organization is eligible for the grant and the program you wish to enrol in qualifies, visit: The MTCU Canada-Ontario Job Grant page
Many of our programs include 120-day unlimited, online access to view the recorded program. See the program page or brochure to find out if the program you’re interested in includes this access. If you need more time to view the content, or have questions about the access, please email: OPDSupport@osgoode.yorku.ca.
Our programs are typically offered once annually, around the same time each year; however, there are a few exceptions where certain programs are offered multiple times throughout the year (i.e. The Certificate in Adjudication). To receive updates on all our new and upcoming program offerings, please click here to subscribe to our email list.
If the program includes access to the recording, you will have unlimited online access to the recorded content for 120-days from the end date of the program.
Access is only for the registered delegate. In the event of misuse, access can be revoked.
CPD hours for each program can be found on the program web page and program brochure. For questions regarding CPD hours, please email cpd@osgoode.yorku.ca
A limited amount of financial assistance is available for OsgoodePD Programs unless specific bursary information appears on the program page/program brochure. Head to our Financial Assistance page for more information.
Yes. We do offer group rates on our programs. Please visit our group rate page for more information. Some exceptions apply, and rates are subject to change.
Our Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs, ranging from one-hour briefings to more intensive certificate programs, are for all professionals. There are no general prerequisites for these programs; however, individual programs often have specific requirements to register. These are noted on individual program pages and .pdf brochures.
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