Ombudsman investigation finds Ministry of Education direct payment programs unfairly denied payments to some eligible families

Province accepts all 14 recommendations to improve any future programs

TORONTO, June 25, 2026 /CNW/ – Five direct payment programs that Ontario launched to support families through school disruptions between 2020 and 2023 unfairly denied funds to some eligible parents and guardians, Acting Ombudsman Barbara Finlay reveals today in a new investigation report.

The report, Catching Up on Fairness, details the experiences of parents and guardians who applied for payments for their children, only to be told they were denied because someone else had already made a claim. The Ombudsman’s Office received more than 200 complaints over the course of five successive programs, from “Support for Parents” and “Support for Families” in 2020 through “Catch Up Payments” in 2023.

The Ministry of Education has accepted all 14 of Ms. Finlay’s recommendations to ensure that any future direct payment programs it undertakes are planned with fairness and transparency in mind.

The Ministry launched the first program to help families during a labour disruption in schools in early 2020, and the rest to support them through successive school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the programs were largely successful in distributing billions of dollars to eligible families at a time when many needed financial assistance, the Acting Ombudsman found they were rushed and plagued by problems that were replicated at each iteration instead of being fixed.

In all, the programs dispensed more than $2 billion for affected children and youth, but the Ministry took a “first-come, first-served approach” to applications without verifying whether the claimant actually had custody of the child in question.

In fact, the Ministry stated it would not get involved in custody matters and suggested that parents work out eligibility amongst themselves – something many involved in acrimonious or abusive situations could not do. Even when parents reported that an ex-partner with no contact with the child had claimed the money, the Ministry declined to act, the investigation found.

This problem was perpetuated as bureaucrats under intense time pressures to implement the programs with inadequate resources “rolled over” eligibility for funds in two programs, meaning people who were unfairly denied benefits under one program were also unable to receive them from the next.

By the time the fifth and final program was up and running, the Ministry had received tens of thousands of complaints and was unable to respond to them.

“Hundreds of families were denied benefits to which they were entitled,” Ms. Finlay says in the report. “The Ministry does not know the exact amount, because it failed to make any effort to track improperly distributed funds.”

Her recommendations call on the Ministry to ensure that any future programs:

• Are comprehensively planned and resourced with adequate staff for administering applications and payments, and handling complaints
• Set out clear eligibility criteria and a consistent method for verifying applicants’ eligibility
• Are subjected to internal audits to identify gaps and weaknesses
• Include a well-publicized process for appeals, and for reporting changes in eligibility

In its response to the investigation, the Ministry noted that the direct payment programs were designed and delivered outside of its usual program delivery model during an unprecedented period that required rapid action to support families and learners across the province. It accepted all of the recommendations and undertook to carefully consider them in the design and implementation of any future programs which may be contemplated, and to inform the Ombudsman’s Office as appropriate. 

For the full report, go to www.ombudsman.on.ca

See also Ombudsman Ontario’s 2025-2026 Annual Report, also released today

About Ombudsman Ontario: The Ombudsman, established in 1975 to help protect the rights of all Ontarians, is an independent and impartial officer of the Legislature. In the past 50 years, the Ombudsman’s Office has handled more than 1 million cases and made more than 1,300 recommendations to improve public services, benefiting millions of people across the province. Under the Ombudsman Act, the Ombudsman reviews and resolves complaints and inquiries from the public about provincial government organizations, as well as French language services, child protection services, municipalities, universities and school boards.

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SOURCE Ombudsman Ontario