Shortly after OmbudsPEI began operations in February 2022, we began receiving complaints from inmates at the Provincial Correctional Centre (PCC) about who they were permitted to contact by telephone. We learned that PCC required inmates to submit telephone numbers for approval in advance and it could take more than a week for numbers to be…
Read articleOmbudsPEI received two complaints alleging that Legal Aid unfairly denied or cancelled their applications for representation. One complainant was initially accepted, however their first meeting with their Legal Aid lawyer ended abruptly after only a few minutes with the Legal Aid lawyer deciding they wouldn’t represent the complainant after all. No reason for this was…
Read articleAn individual who is waiting for a family doctor or nurse practitioner on PEI’s Provincial Patient Registry contacted our office to complain that they believed the registry was being misused or ignored by practitioners. The individual had reason to believe that medical practitioners in their community were taking on patients who had not been on…
Read articleA person incarcerated at PEI’s Provincial Correctional Centre (PCC) contacted us to complain that they were not able to access the written set of rules and policies the centre expected offenders to follow. They felt because they were unaware of the rules and expectations, they were consistently getting in trouble for breaking those rules. We…
Read articleAn individual complained that the Rural Municipality of Breadalbane was conducting Council business on private social media pages and refusing to provide members of the public with minutes of two Council meetings. In both instances, the complainant believed the Municipality was breaching the requirements of the Municipal Government Act (MGA). Membership on the Municipality’s social…
Read articleAn individual contacted OmbudsPEI to complain about the process for how government contracts are awarded to private service providers on PEI. The individual disputed the reasons for why their own bids had been unsuccessful and complained of a lack of transparency and availability of policy governing the procurement process. They believed that the lack of…
Read articleWe received a complaint about the approval of a development at 251 Kelpie Lane in Point Deroche alleging that it violated provincial legislation in two ways. The complainant believed that the new buildings were unlawfully closer to the shoreline than their predecessors and did not meet environmental buffer zone setback requirements. They also complained that…
Read articleDuring a Covid-19 self-isolation period following a complainant’s return to PEI, they relapsed into serious alcohol abuse. With the help of the RCMP and paramedics, the complainant was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) for treatment. While they waited to be transferred to the Provincial Addictions Treatment Facility (PATF) for rehabilitation, they were given…
Read articleA person who lived in the area of a rezoned property was surprised to learn that the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) ordered the rezoning following an appeal to it by the developer. Confused and frustrated, the resident reached out to IRAC with questions. In an appeal hearing, IRAC substituted its decision for that…
Read articleFollowing reports in the media suggesting that Charlottetown City Council may have held discussions in closed session that were not permitted by the Municipal Government Act (MGA), OmbudsPEI began an assessment to determine what happened. We learned that a topic had been discussed in a closed council meeting that was unrelated to the topic announced…
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