Ombudsperson: a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing the broad scope of constituent interests.

In the case of a the Ombudsperson for the province of British Columbia, that person is:

• an officer of the provincial legislature

• independent of government and political parties

• responsible for making sure that the administrative practices and services of public agencies are fair, reasonable, appropriate and equitable

The current BC Ombudsperosn is Kim Carter, and Ms. Carter will be making a tour of the Kootenays.

“It’s been two or three years since she’s been to the Kootenays,” said Carter’s assistant Karen Sawatzky. “Most of our work is on the phone or online, but she does like to get out and meet people.

The East Kootenay tour is part of the Ombudsperson’s ongoing efforts to improve understanding of the services provided by her office, which are free and confidential. The outreach tour allows the Ombudsperson to meet with various community groups and some of the public agencies that fall under her jurisdiction. These agencies include provincial ministries, Crown corporations, colleges and universities, boards of education, health authorities and local governments.

The tour also provides a chance for members of the public to make a complaint in person, as Ombudsperson staff set up temporary offices in each community visited. Due to demand, appointments must be booked ahead of time by calling 1-800-567-3247.

“You do have to call and make an appointment and then you will be told where and when to meet the Ombudsperson.”

Ms. Carter said that while her office receives the bulk of complaints by telephone, mail or online, some people are more comfortable meeting face-to-face when raising their concerns. She said it’s important to her that this opportunity is available to people throughout the province.

“We’re here to serve the entire province, and I want people to know they can come to us if they believe a public agency has not dealt with them fairly.”

“We don’t deal with federal complaints, only provincial,” Sawatzky. “But you can also complain about your local government, Regional District, School Board or provincial agency.

The Ombudsperson’s office investigates complaints impartially and confidentially. While striving to settle complaints through consultation, the Ombudsperson, as an independent officer of the legislature, can also choose to make recommendations and issue public reports. The office responded to approximately 8,000 complaints and enquiries in the 2008/09 fiscal year.

The Ombudsperson will be in Kimberley on February 4. Please call 1-800-567-3247 to book an appointment.