Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming

The letter · 23 September 2026

Ontario Trillium Foundation - 20 days of silence on a grant to Refugee Career Jumpstart Project

Hello,

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of this Ministry. The Tourism, Culture and Gaming Policy and Program Division holds it in its portfolio.

The Foundation awarded a Resilient Communities Fund grant of 194,700 dollars to Refugee Career Jumpstart Project, operating as Jumpstart Refugee Talent, charitable registration 787710490RR0001. On 6 December 2024 the recipient published a press release about that grant. The release says the grant allowed the organization to "increase its accessibility by fully adapting all programming to be remote." MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam and MPP Chris Glover are quoted in it.

I am a refugee claimant living in Ottawa. On 18 August 2026 I wrote to that organization and said in my first message that I communicate in writing and do not take calls. They invited me to register on 19 August. I registered on 20 August and repeated the request. A staff member called my number without notice on 21 August. I repeated the request the same day and offered to answer the full intake in the email thread.

They refused on 26 August 2026, and here are their words: "Without a phone number, unfortunately, we are unable to proceed with the process."

On 27 August I asked for the written policy behind that requirement. A Senior Manager, Client Engagement answered: "This is not a policy; this is a process that we have adopted since our inception in 2016" and "we are not able to do intakes and offer services over email."

On 2 September 2026 I put four questions to the Foundation about the terms of that grant agreement. The Foundation answered the same day through its Support Centre: "I have forwarded your concerns to a Regional Director who will be getting back to you." I asked for an answer by 16 September 2026, and that date passed with nothing from the Regional Director.

Provincial money went to this organization to increase accessibility, and the organization reported that outcome publicly under the Foundation's name. In 2026 the same organization closed access to a refugee claimant over the communication channel, and it holds no written procedure to point to.

I ask the Ministry for four things.

1. The accessibility and client service terms in the Resilient Communities grant agreement between the Foundation and Refugee Career Jumpstart Project
2. Whether the Ministry regards the refusal quoted above as consistent with the purpose of that grant
3. Which branch and which official exercise Ministry oversight of the Foundation, and what that oversight requires when a funded organization closes access to a service
4. The date on which the Foundation will answer the four questions it received on 2 September 2026

I ask for a written answer by 15 October 2026. Silence past that date sends these questions to the Standing Committee on Government Agencies, with a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry and the Foundation.

I communicate in writing, so please answer to this address.

Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban