Complaints to Sask. ombudsman increased 11% in 2024: report

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 6:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The fig of complaints to Saskatchewan's ombudsman roseate 11 per cent successful 2024, with major increases successful complaints against the Ministries of Corrections and Social Services.

The numbers are from the ombudsman's yearly report, released Thursday. In total, determination were 4,046 complaints from the nationalist successful 2024, up 407 from the twelvemonth before. Complaints to the Ministry of Social Services and the Ministry of Correction, Policing and Public Safety were astir 40 per cent of the total.

The provincial ombudsman is an bureau wrong the Saskatchewan authorities that deals with complaints from residents who consciousness they've been treated unfairly by a provincial oregon municipal service. It besides receives disclosures from nationalist servants accusing the authorities of wrongdoing.

"We're truly fortunate successful Saskatchewan that we person precise responsive nationalist entities erstwhile our bureau calls," said Sharon Pratchler, Saskatchewan's ombudsman. "What we're trying to truly stress is just determination making by statutory determination makers."

According to the report, 98 per cent of cases were closed wrong six months.

Lack of trauma-informed communications by the SHA

One of the complaints made to the ombudsman progressive a Saskatchewan antheral who had to acquisition an further lung country due to the fact that the surgeon near a portion of instrumentality successful his assemblage during the archetypal procedure. 

A important information of his lung was removed successful the 2nd surgery, aft which helium struggled to negociate his health.

A captious indecent reappraisal was conducted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, but the diligent was ne'er asked for his input. He besides wasn't initially told the result of the investigation, contempt asking astir it. 

He yet got much accusation much than a twelvemonth aft the 2nd surgery, but by past had "lost trust" with the SHA, the study said. He aboriginal died.

After a ailment made by the man's family, the ombudsman determined that the SHA failed to adequately pass with the diligent according to its policies, and did not signifier trauma-informed care. It besides failed to study the incidental to the Ministry of Health wrong the required 60 days, oregon implicit the reappraisal successful time.

As a effect of its investigation, the ombudsman instructed the SHA to apologize to the family, update its enactment modular for captious incidental reviews and disclosures to amended embed the principles of household centred and trauma-informed care, and make a caller mechanics to guarantee timely reporting to the government.

In a statement, the SHA said it had apologized to the family and is committed to gathering the ombudsman's recommendations. 

"The SHA is focused connected reporting captious incidents successful adherence to the Critical Incident Legislation and Regulations portion continuously enhancing processes and improving wide performance," SHA spokesperson Doug Dahl said.

As of January 2024, a caller standardized SHA Critical Incident Management process utilizing evidence-based champion signifier was implemented. This includes obtaining patient/resident/client/family perspectives done the reappraisal process.

Growth successful corrections complaints

The fig of complaints made astir the Ministry of Corrections grew by astir 30 per cent successful 2024 and made up the 2nd largest information overall.

The largest summation came from complaints related to the Pine Grove Correctional Centre, a women's jail conscionable extracurricular of Prince Albert. In 2024, 197 complaints were made to the ombudsman astir the facility, an summation of 129 per cent.

In July 2024, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan reported that the jailhouse was importantly overcrowded. The provincial authorities confirmed that period that determination were 263 pistillate inmates astatine the facility, good implicit its designated maximum of 166 inmates.

Pine Grove is present nether systemic reappraisal by the ombudsman, who has been soliciting nationalist feedback connected the conditions there.

"What we wanted to perceive was the voices of radical who had experienced the conditions successful Pine Grove, but besides to perceive mostly from families oregon anybody other who wanted to speech to us," Pratchler said.

"One of the messages that we sent retired was we spot you, we perceive you, what you accidental matters."

"We're surely alert of immoderate of the capableness pressures astatine that peculiar institution," said Saskatchewan Corrections Minister Tim McLeod. "I myself person had conversations with the ombudsman astir immoderate of the feedback that she's getting astir that."

In the report, the ombudsman highlighted immoderate different cases her bureau helped resolve. It collaborated with the Ministry of Social Services to assistance 2 debased income seniors stock a societal lodging portion aft initially being denied, and helped reimburse a pistillate connected Saskatchewan's Assured Income for Disability who had been made to wage for prescribed supplements for her disabled daughter.

The bureau besides helped unafraid a taxation reimbursement of implicit $4,440 for a antheral who had been mistakenly charged taxation connected his motortruck bought successful Alberta, and worked with SaskEnergy to repay a homeowner who had submitted the incorrect email code erstwhile helium signed up for their Tune-Up Assistance Program.

People tin interaction the ombudsman successful the pursuing ways:

• Call dedicated lines astatine 1-844-608-1180 (toll-free) oregon 306-787-4236, disposable from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST Monday to Friday, positive Friday evenings and Saturday.

• Go to ombudsman.sk.ca.

• Write a missive to the ombudsman astatine 500–2103 11th Avenue, Regina, SK, S4P 3Z8.

• Request an in-person gathering with the ombudsman oregon a subordinate of her team, who volition question to communities, including bluish communities.