5. Make a complaint

If you can't register your child in a French-language school and you're entitled to, or their French services don't meet your needs, you can make a complaint.

School board

You can complain to the school board for that school. Let them know you are not satisfied with the French language services you received. Make notes about who you spoke to and what they said.

Ontario Ombudsman

If the school board doesn't resolve the issue, you can file a complaint with the Ontario Ombudsman French Language Services Unit. The Ombudsman helps people who have concerns with any public education program in Ontario. This includes daycare through to secondary schools, and school boards.

You can make a complaint about:

• something a school board did or a decision they made
• school busing and transportation services
• special education services

The Ombudsman's job is to make sure the French Language Services Act is followed. This includes making sure that:

• the rights of people who live in Ontario are respected
• the provincial government and public school boards provide the services they are supposed to

If you have questions or want the Ombudsman to find out more about a situation, call 1-866-246-5262 or 416-847-1515.

You can make a complaint to the Ombudsman by phone or by completing a Complaint form online. All complaints are confidential.

In your complaint, include details like:

• your name
• your phone number
• your mailing address
• your email address
• a brief description of the incident or the situation, with the date, time, and location

Staff at the Ombudsman's office will contact you if they need more information. If your issue is one they can help with, they will first try to resolve your complaint by talking to the people involved. Most complaints are resolved this way within 2 weeks. If your complaint can't be resolved, the Ombudsman may start an investigation.

The Ombudsman doesn't have the power to order the provincial government or a school board to do anything. But they can write a report that says what their investigation found and suggest ways the provincial government or school board can improve their services.

They will tell you what happens with your case. The Ombudsman also publishes the results of their investigations in Annual Reports.