Our role and actions

We serve as the last resort in investigating complaints regarding the City of Montréal’s administrative entities. 

We can investigate if you believe that a decision, recommendation, action–or inaction–by the City of Montréal has: 

• wronged or harmed you;
• violated your rights; or
• led to an error, abuse, injustice, or negligence that affects you.

The services of the Ombudsman de Montréal are accessible, free of charge, and confidential.

Our investigative authority generally excludes political entities. However, we may intervene if a decision voted on by City Council, the Executive Committee, or a Borough Council violates Part II of the Montréal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities, except when the decision in question is primarily of a budgetary nature.

See our section Pouvons-nous traiter votre plainte ? for more details.

We may decide to investigate on our own initiative to identify and attempt to resolve problematic situations—often systemic in nature—in the City of Montréal’s operations.

We are an organization that is independent from the City of Montréal and completely impartial. This means that when we become involved in a case, we have no bias toward either the City or borough or the complainant(s). We gather and consider all the facts objectively and allow all parties to present relevant information before we take a position.

When our investigation confirms the existence of a problem, we work impartially, in collaboration with the City or borough entity concerned and the complainant(s), to find a solution. We aim to be an agent of change, and our interventions often lead to the updating or modernization of municipal practices or procedures.

On the recommendation of the Task Force on Democracy, which emerged from the 2002 Montréal Summit, the City created Canada’s first municipal ombudsman position. At the time, no other Canadian municipality offered such a service to facilitate relations between its residents and its staff. Johanne Savard was Montreal’s first Ombudsman, serving from 2003 to 2020.

In 2006, the Government of Québec also amended the Cities and Towns Act to confirm the investigative powers of municipal ombudsmen and protect the confidentiality of their files.

We are governed by the following laws and regulations:

• By-law concerning the Ombudsman
• By-law concerning the Montréal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities and the Right of Initiative
• Cities and Towns Act (Sections 573.14 to 573.20)