The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction over chartered banks. Complaints about banks may be directed to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments at 1-888-451-4519 or www.bankingombudsman.com.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to handle consumer complaints such as product warranties or service contracts made or provided by private companies. The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority offers information on consumer problems and may be contacted at 1-888-564-9963 or www.bpcpa.ca. A complaint about a Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority process may be directed to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to handle complaints about doctors. Complaints about doctors may be directed to the College of Physicians and Surgeons at 1-800-661-9701 or www.cpsbc.ca.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to handle employment related issues involving private companies. The Employment Standards Branch accepts complaints and inquiries about non-union employment issues and can be reached at 1-800-663-3316 or www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb. The Labour Relations Board handles unionized employment issues and can be contacted at (604) 660-1301 or www.lrb.bc.ca. Complaints about the Employment Standards Branch or the Labour Relations Board may be made to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Service BC will provide current information about provincial government programs and services. If you want information or help to contact a government department, call Service BC at 387-6121 in Greater Victoria, at (604) 660-2421 in Greater Vancouver, and at 1-800-663-7867 if you are calling from outside Victoria or Vancouver.
If you have a complaint about the enforcement actions taken by the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, please discuss it with your Enforcement Officer. You can expect to receive a response to telephone enquiries within five working days and ten working days to letters.
If you remain dissatisfied, please contact the Regional Manager of the unit handling your file and give them a reasonable time to respond. If you still have concerns after talking to the Regional Manager, contact the Office of the Ombudsman and we will review your concerns to determine whether or not we will investigate your complaint.
The numbers for the Regional Managers are as follows:For the Lower Mainland (604) 678-5670.
For the Interior and North (250) 434-6020.
For the Central Enrollment and Out of Province unit and for Vancouver Island (250) 220-4040.Where long distance rates apply, you may contact Service BC at 1-800-663-7867 and ask someone there to transfer your call to the appropriate Regional Manager. You will avoid long distance charges by using Service BC to transfer your call.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to handle any issues regarding federal government programs such as income tax or employment insurance. Service Canada offers federal government referral information and may be contacted at 1-800-622-6232 or www.canada.gc.ca.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction over private insurance companies. Complaints and inquiries about private insurance companies may be directed to the General Insurance Ombudservice at 1-877-225-0446 or www.gio-scad.org
A special unit at ICBC called the Fair Practices Review Department (FPRD) handles complaints about ICBC. If you have a complaint about ICBC, please write the Fair Practices Review Department in North Vancouver.
If you are not satisfied that you have been treated fairly after the FPRD has reviewed your situation, you may wish to contact the Fairness Commissioner. Please note that the Commissioner does not deal with decisions involving the assessment of liability. You can write to the Fairness Commissioner at the following address:
ICBC Fairness Commissioner
P.O. Box 86686
North Vancouver BC V7L 4L2
If you remain dissatisfied after attempting to resolve your issue through the available remedies, you may contact the Office of the Ombudsman and we will review your concerns to determine whether or not we will investigate your complaint.
If you have a complaint about income assistance programs, contact the District Supervisor of your local Office. Give the Supervisor a reasonable time to respond to your complaint. If you believe the response is not fair, you may appeal any decision to deny you a benefit or to discontinue a benefit you were receiving. If you decide to appeal, ask your Employment and Assistance Worker for an appeal kit. The worker is obliged to give you the kit. If after pursuing the appeal or the administrative remedy you remain concerned that there has been unfairness, you may contact the Office of the Ombudsman and we will review your concerns to determine whether or not we will investigate your complaint.
Complaints and inquiries about renting may be made to the Residential Tenancy Branch at 1-800-665-8779 or www.rto.gov.bc.ca. Complaints about the Residential Tenancy Branch may be made to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to handle complaints about lawyers. Complaints and inquiries about lawyers may be made to the Law Society of BC at 1-800-903-5300 or www.lawsociety.bc.ca.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to handle any issues regarding private life and health insurance such as long-term disability benefits. Complaints and inquiries may be made to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Ombudservice at 1-888-295-8112 or www.clhio.ca.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction over private schools. Complaints and inquiries may be made to the Inspector of Independent Schools at (250) 356-2508 or www.bced.gov.bc.ca/independentschools. Complaints regarding the Inspector of Independent Schools may be made to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Workers may appeal some decisions of the Worker's Compensation Board about their compensation claims. For information about the appeal process, refer to the WCB's Claims Appeal Guide. You can obtain the guide at your local WCB office. If you need help to file an appeal, you may wish to call the Workers' Advisers Office at 1-800-663-4261. If after concluding an available appeal process, you remain concerned that there has been unfairness, you may contact the Office of the Ombudsman and we will review your concerns to determine whether or not we will investigate your complaint.
These links are provided for information purposes only. The Office of the Ombudsman is not responsible for their content.
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