How We Work
At the Office of the Ombudsperson, we are the steadfast champions of fairness within the Toronto Metropolitan University community. Our commitment to fostering an equitable environment is reflected in the multifaceted ways we assist students:
You can contact our office via phone, by email, or in-person. We will meet with you in-person, virtually, or over the phone to gather details relating to your concern, and to advise of the relevant policies and to determine next steps. We will not share any confidential information to anyone without your consent, and there is no fee for our services.
Not a concern? No problem - we also handle inquires. Our Office can answer general questions or refer you to the appropriate person or Department.
If you haven't tried escalating your concern through existing mechanisms, we'll advise you of the process to do that first. We can guide you through the process, and you can return to us if the issue isn't resolved.
If your concern is not within the Ombudsperson's jurisdiction, we will refer you accordingly.
To assist in resolving a concern, we may determine it's appropriate to make informal inquiries, with a student's permission, and to request information from the relevant staff or faculty member to clarify information relating to a concern.
In some more complex cases or if there is a concern about a final decision received, it may be appropriate for the Ombudsperson's Office to conduct a fairness review or investigation.
If the Ombudsperson determines that there is a potential systemic issue underlying complaints, they may decide to launch a systemic investigation.
We publish our case statistics in our Annual Report, and develop recommendations based on issues and trends we've observed during the reporting period. Our Annual Report is presented to Senate each year, and reports are available on our website. Copies are also available from our Office. When the Ombudsperson's recommendations are accepted, our Office follows up to ensure they are implemented.
We communicate the outcome of individual investigations and most reviews and informal resolutions to complainants and the relevant bodies, as warranted. When the Ombudsperson's recommendations are accepted, our Office follows up to ensure they are implemented, and we monitor to ensure problems don't recur.