The provincial Ombudsman wants to connect to other communities and educate people about the function of the office. Mary McFadyen, Saskatchewan’s Ombudsman, was part of the office’s trip to Yorkton on October 27.
The goal of the trip is to connect with communities outside of Regina and Saskatoon where the main office is, in order to better meet the needs of the people of the province. They also held an information session to educate the public on what it is the Ombudsman does.
“What we try to do is bring our home office to another city... It’s important to realize that we get complaints from all over the province.”
The Ombudsman takes complaints about different government agencies, acting as an impartial, independent agency to examine the complaint and work towards a fair resolution.
“We look at the facts, we’re neutral and impartial, we’re not on the government’s side or the complainant’s side, and we see if they have been treated unfairly.”
McFadyen believes that the Ombudsman provides a valuable service, one that becomes increasingly relevant year after year.
“I don’t think we realize on a day to day basis how many government decisions affect our day to day lives. Ombudsmen in general have become more and more prevalent in our society since WWII because there have been more and more government services which affect us with their decisions.”
It was a busy day, with a steady number of people making complaints to the office. However, if someone believes they were treated unfairly but it was not possible for someone to make a complaint during the day, McFadyen encourages them to make a complaint by phone at 1-800-667-9787 or online at ombudsman.sk.ca.
