For home and community care services that the Government of Ontario pays for, Ontario Health atHome decides what services people need and can get. They work with Ontario Health Teams and health service providers. 

They also provide placement services for long-term care homes. 

Ontario Health atHome used to be called Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). 

The Government of Ontario has a Long-Term Care Family Support and Action Line for making complaints about long-term care homes.  

An official from the Ministry of Long-Term Care will look into your complaint. This may include an inspection of the home. 

Hours of operation: 8:30  a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week 

Advocacy North for Elders and Seniors is a program run by community legal clinics in Northern Ontario. They offer legal help and advice to elders and seniors who have low incomes and are dealing with legal issues related to their age.  

They offer free and confidential help and advice in these areas: 

• retirement homes and long-term care homes 
• consent and capacity 
• wills and powers of attorney  
• elder abuse  
• consumer rights including scams 

The Clinique Juridique Francophone d’Ottawa gives free legal advice in French to older adults living in Ottawa. They give legal advice in these areas: 

• consent and capacity 
• procedures when being discharged from hospital 
• rights in long-term care homes 
• Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement 
  

If you need help, you can book an appointment online or call 613-744-2892, extension 2. 

The Patient Ombudsman can help with complaints about public hospitals, long-term care homes, and Home and Community Care Support Services. But before contacting the Ombudsman, you must first try to resolve the complaint with the organization itself. Then, if you’re not satisfied with the outcome, you can make a complaint to the Ombudsman.

Legal Aid Ontario funds legal clinics across Ontario. There are two types of legal clinics: community legal clinics and specialty legal clinics.

Community legal clinics provide free legal services to people with low incomes who live in their area. Search for the clinic in your area using your postal code. Most help with:

• income assistance
• tenant rights
• employment problems

Some clinics can help with immigration and refugee problems or debt and consumer problems.

Some specialty legal clinics provide free legal services to specific groups of people with low incomes:

• Advocacy Centre for the Elderly
• Aboriginal Legal Services
• ARCH Disability Law Centre
• Black Legal Action Centre
• Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto
• Chinese and South Asian Legal Clinic
• Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples
• HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario
• Justice for Children and Youth
• South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario

Some specialty legal clinics provide free legal services in only certain areas of law:

• Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
• Canadian Environmental Law Association
• Income Security Advocacy Centre
• Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario (IAVGO) Community Legal Clinic
• Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic
• Workers Health and Safety Legal Clinic

If you live in the Ottawa or Champlain region and have a disability, ABLE2’s Reach Legal Referral Services may be able to help. They can refer you to a lawyer or paralegal for up to 3 hours of free legal advice in any area of law. But they cannot help with urgent legal issues.

If ABLE2 cannot help, they may refer you to community resources.

Book a meeting online, or call 613-761-9522 extension 452 or 453. You can also email reachlegalreferral@able2.org.