BackThe City of Toronto’s Ombudsman Kwame Addo says the City’s Employment and Social Services (TESS) division made multiple errors in how it responded to a Toronto mother who’d received overpayments in social assistance. Addo says City staff did not give the client (named Dina in the report) a clear explanation of what she owed, neglected information that supported her case, didn’t speak to her to understand the facts and kept her waiting for hours when she tried to speak to a supervisor.
“The City didn’t treat Dina fairly, and that had a real and lasting impact on her,” says Addo. “She told my office she shut down, stopped functioning and was likely depressed.”
“This is a reminder that there are real people behind every decision the City makes. I’m grateful for her persistence in coming forward – it has forced changes that will better support some of the most vulnerable in our city.”
On 11 December 2025, Addo released a report titled, An Investigation into the City’s Handling of a Resident’s Social Assistance Overpayments. The report details a series of errors the City made that not only caused significant unfairness to one person but could potentially affect others in similar situations. The investigation found that City staff did not follow policies and could not explain why they didn’t:
- The City failed to conduct financial reviews of Dina’s benefits for over 10 years, even though they’re supposed to do it every two years. Without warning, they sent her a letter saying she had received $25,546 in excess social assistance. The City immediately reduced her benefits by 10 per cent (about $96 per month.)
- Dina took responsibility for about half the amount. However, because City staff failed to keep proper records and didn’t speak to her, they incorrectly claimed that she owed the other half.
- Two reviews failed to catch and correct errors. One upheld the incorrect amount. City staff never spoke to Dina to understand the facts during either review, denying her the chance to participate in a process with a huge impact on her.
- When Dina went to a local office to speak to a supervisor, they left her waiting for hours. The division’s customer service standards state clients should be able to speak to management within 30 minutes of arriving.
Management also delayed for two years reversing an overpayment of $2,400 that Dina didn’t owe. The City only reversed the amount after the Ombudsman launched this investigation. Had she not complained to Ombudsman Toronto, she likely would have repaid the City money she never owed.
Kindly click here to read the full article.
Source: The Office of the Ombudsman Toronto, Canada
