Ombudsman Ontario
Complaint about the Ontario Trillium Foundation: a written request without answer for twenty days.
The letter ·
Complaint about the Ontario Trillium Foundation - no answer to a written request in 20 days
Hello,
This is a complaint about the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.
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."
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, and I registered on 20 August. A staff member called my number without notice on 21 August. I repeated the request in writing and offered to answer the full intake in the email thread.
They refused on 26 August 2026: "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."
On 2 September 2026 I wrote to the Foundation and asked four questions about the terms of the grant agreement it holds with that organization. I asked which accessibility and client service terms the agreement contains. I asked whether it permits a funded organization to close access over the communication channel, whether the Foundation regards the refusal above as consistent with the purpose of the grant, and who at the Foundation answers for grant compliance.
The Foundation answered the same day from 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 nothing arrived. The Foundation has now held these questions for 20 days without answering any of them.
The Foundation publishes a Customer Service Policy. It sets a standard of 2 business days for answering inquiries and complaints, written or verbal.
I ask the Ombudsman to look at two things. The first is why the Foundation left a written enquiry about the terms of a public grant unanswered for 20 days, after routing it to a Regional Director itself. The second is what the Foundation does to check that a grant paid to increase accessibility is spent on that purpose, and what it does when a recipient closes access to the service.
I communicate in writing, so please answer to this address.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban
No answer by 13 Oct