Teacher
School Board
Ombudsman
Special Ed
Human Rights
Legal Help
ComplaintCA is an independent platform. It is not a government agency. About us →
1. Teacher or Principal
Raise the issue directly and in writing first — most boards require this before accepting a formal complaint, and it creates a paper trail.
2. School Board / Trustee
Every Canadian school board publishes a formal complaints policy — ask for it by name. Your elected trustee's office can also help push a stalled issue.
3. Provincial Ombudsman or Ministry (If Unresolved)
In Ontario, the Ombudsman has overseen all 72 public school boards since 2015 — you can complain once the school and board have had a chance to respond.
Ontario Ombudsman — 1-800-263-1830 →In British Columbia, the Ombudsperson has the same kind of oversight over schools and school districts.
BC Ombudsperson — 1-800-567-3247 →In Manitoba, the Ombudsman reviews school divisions for administrative fairness, and for how they've handled your personal information or an access request.
Manitoba Ombudsman — 1-800-665-0531 →In Saskatchewan, the Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction over schools, teachers, or school boards directly — only over the Ministry of Education itself.
Ombudsman Saskatchewan — Schools →In Alberta, the Ombudsman does not cover schools at all. A complaint about a specific teacher's professional conduct goes to the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission instead — there's no external oversight body for general school or board decisions.
Alberta Teaching Profession Commission — 780-427-3663 →In Quebec, an unresolved complaint goes to the Protecteur national de l'élève through your local centre de services scolaire's own complaints officer, in three stages. There's no single provincial phone line — start on your school board's own website.
Nova Scotia: after the teacher and principal, go to your Regional Centre for Education (or CSAP). The Ombudsman reviews Regional Centres.
Nova Scotia — Office of the Ombudsman — 1-800-670-1111 →New Brunswick: after the school, go to the district office. Ombud NB reviews school districts and District Education Councils.
New Brunswick — Ombud NB — 1-888-465-1100 →PEI: teacher, principal, then the Public Schools Branch. The PEI Ombudsperson does not investigate school decisions.
PEI — Public Schools Branch →Newfoundland & Labrador: teacher, principal, then NLSchools. The Citizens' Representative reviews the Department of Education.
Newfoundland & Labrador — NLSchools (Department of Education) — 709-729-1234 → Newfoundland & Labrador — Citizens' Representative →Yukon: principal, superintendent or school council, then the Department. The Yukon Ombudsman covers public schools.
Yukon — Department of Education (public schools) — 867-667-5068 → Yukon — Education Appeal Tribunal → Yukon — Yukon Ombudsman — 867-667-8468 →NWT: principal, then a written appeal to your local education body. The NWT Ombud covers education bodies.
NWT — NWT Ombud — 1-844-686-6283 →Nunavut: principal, then your District Education Authority. Nunavut has no Ombudsman; the Representative for Children and Youth can review a student's issue with a government service.
Nunavut — Representative for Children and Youth — 1-855-449-8118 →Special Education (IEP) Delays
A stalled assessment or unmet accommodation — raise it in writing with the school's special education resource teacher first, then the board's special education department. In Ontario, unresolved IEP disputes can go to the Special Education Tribunal or the Ontario Ombudsman.