Elections

Do you support allowing Ontario residents to appeal to the Ontario Ombudsman with respect to municipalities, universities, school boards, hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, police and children's aid societies (the MUSH sector)?

Responses to the question: "Do you support allowing Ontario residents to appeal to the Ontario Ombudsman with respect to municipalities, universities, school boards, hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, police and children's aid societies (the MUSH sector)?"

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15 Candidate Responses (top)

Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale
CandidateBrief ResponseFull Response
Barry Spruce Yes Freedom Party is all about giving people the opportunity to express concerns and being accountable. Yes we would support an Ombudsman program to appeal decisions across the MUSH sector, There is room for improvement in this area.
Raymond Dartsch Yes That's also overdue.
Ted McMeekin Yes This is why we introduced Bill 179 - The Public Sector and MPP Accountability and Transparency Act. This Bill announced March 6, 2014, would open up Ombudsman oversight into the MUSH sector for the first time on Ontario's history. It also created a new patient Ombudsman for complaints about hospitals and long-term care homes. In addition, the Bill gave the existing Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth the power to investigate Children's Aid Societies. Unfortunately, due to the opposition parties not supporting the budget, the current election killed the Bill. It is our intention to re-introduce this if we are fortunate enough to be given the privilege to form government.
Hamilton Centre
CandidateBrief ResponseFull Response
Bob Mann Yes Yes. However the Ombudsman must have the authority to enforce the rulings made on appeals.
Donna Tiqui-Shebib Yes This past March, Kathleen Wynne brought forward the most sweeping piece of accountability legislation in a generation. This legislation expanded the powers of the Ontario Ombudsman, providing the Ombudsman with oversight over school boards, municipalities, and universities. The legislation also allowed for the creation of a province-wide patient ombudsman, and enhanced the power for the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. If re-elected, a Wynne government will re-introduce our accountability act.
John Vail Maybe Thanks for the questions but in my opinion they are better directed to municipal candidates as the questions relate directly to municipal issues and not to provincial issues which are jobs, the provincial economy, the provincial deficit, provincial debt reduction, and lower provincial taxes
Peter Ormond Yes I do think that we do need an independent Ombudsman to appeal to just to ensure that our institutions stay on track when delivering their programs.

However, there should be a mechanism to ensure that report results do have some teeth.

The Green Party is based on values that include social justice, integrity, respect for diversity, sustainability and ecological wisdom. These values are in the interest of every living creature now and into the future. Vote Green for you and your grandchildren's future.
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek
CandidateBrief ResponseFull Response
Paul Miller Yes The Ontario NDP has called for the oversight of ombudsman’s office to be expanded to include municipalities, universities, school board and hospital. We have pressured the Liberal government for years to allow the ombudsman’s office to serve as a patient ombudsman, but they have refused to take action.
Hamilton Mountain
CandidateBrief ResponseFull Response
Greg Lenko Yes Bill 179 would not only have been historical but imperative to all living in Ontario. With this election being called unnecessarily I hope Bill 179 is not history. We need an Ombudsman to appeal to in order to ensure non-governmental institutions stay on track when delivering their programs. A new Patient Ombudsman is also integral to Ontario. Complaints about hospitals and long-term care homes have been the norm for far too long and need to be dealt with accordingly. Although they do a lot of positive work in the communities they serve, children's aid societies also need to be scrutinized to ensure they do not overstep their boundaries. Bill 179 was an assurance of greater transparency for all MPPs and the public. It would be good for living in a positive democracy altogether. I would expect that if it does not happen there will be many more years of public demonstrations, rallies and calls to expand Ombudsman oversight to all or part of the MUSH sector until it happens.
Hans Wienhold Yes Finally a question I can answer "yes" to. And if the voters choose not to send me to Queen's Park on June 12 I hope to be considered to occupy that ombudsman position.
Monique Taylor Yes Yes. The Ontario NDP has called for the oversight of ombudsman's office to be expanded to include municipalities, universities, school board and hospital. We have pressured the Liberal government for years to allow the ombudsman's office to serve as a patient ombudsman, but they have refused to take action.
Niagara West-Glanbrook
CandidateBrief ResponseFull Response
Basia Krzyzanowski Yes I do think that we do need an independent Ombudsman to appeal to just to ensure that our institutions stay on track when delivering their programs.

However, there should be a mechanism to ensure that report results do have some teeth.

The Green Party is based on values that include social justice, integrity, respect for diversity, sustainability and ecological wisdom. These values are in the interest of every living creature now and into the future. Vote Green for you and your grandchildren's future.
Geoff Peacock Maybe In this election, Freedom Party candidates are focused on
two things: restoring trust in government by balancing the budget without
massive job cuts, and restoring affordable electricity by pulling the plug
on already-existing, over-priced, Liberal green energy deals (without a
penalty). Our position is that there should be no new spending unless and
until the budget is balanced. You may consider this my reply to all of the
questions in your questionnaire.
Stefanos Keratopis No My answer to all of these questions are no. However, that does not mean these things should not be done. I just do not think government should be doing them. I am opposed to all forms of government monopolies.

With the province having a $295 Billion debt is it really a smart thing to commit itself to large scale projects and more massive spending and more unsustainable tax increases?

We need to reduce the size of government, sell off all government monopolies such as the LCBO/OLG and use that money to reduce the provincial debt, invest in restoring Ontarians freedoms and get government out of the way of business and REMOVE ALL red tape so they can create jobs.

Please visit https://libertarian.on.ca/platform to see our current platform. Vote Libertarian Party, The Party Of Choice.
Tim Hudak Maybe Thank you very much for your letter. We appreciate the opportunity to listen to your priorities for Ontario. We share your commitment to Ontario's future and believe that with more and better jobs, we can do what's necessary to bring about the change Ontario needs.

I'm excited about our Million Jobs Plan-a plan to bring jobs back to Ontario, stop overspending, balance the budget and keep our debt from growing. Our plan relies on the notion that government should be smaller, but what it does, it does better. Our priorities for this election can be found at www.millionjobsplan.com

We need to face our challenges honestly and compassionately. It won't be easy, but it can be done and it will be worth it. I know we can build a previously unimagined Ontario, but it's going to take some courage and a willingness to challenge the failed status quo.

That's what our Ontario PC Million Jobs Plan delivers. We are asking government to tighten its belt, the way everyday Ontarians have, so that one million men and women out of work will have a shot at solid, good-paying jobs.

We've got a job to do. It's time to get Ontario working better.

Response Summary (top)

Brief ResponseCount% of Total
Yes1173.3%
No16.7%
Maybe320.0%

15 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)

Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale
Alex Johnstone
Donna Skelly
Glenn Langton
Hamilton Centre
Andrea Horwath
Peter Melanson
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek
Britney Anne Johnston
David Brown
Greg Zink
Ivan Luksic
Mark Burnison
Hamilton Mountain
Albert Marshall
Brian Goodwin
Javid Mirza
Niagara West-Glanbrook
Brian McCormack
David Mossey