Submit a complaint to the City

The City of Ottawa is committed to continuous organizational improvement in an environment where all complaints are dealt with fairly in a respectful, transparent fashion, as quickly as possible.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction related to a City of Ottawa program, service, facility, or staff member, where a citizen believes that the City has not provided a service experience to the customer’s satisfaction at the point of service delivery and a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected.

A complaint is distinct from:

  • Request for Service:  A request made to the City on behalf of a citizen for a specific service, or to notify the City that a scheduled service was not provided on time.  Examples include:
    • Requesting that the City repair a street surface
    • Reporting a burnt out street light
    • Notifying the City of a missed garbage collection
    • Alerting the City of no water service
    • Report a bylaw or parking infraction
  • Claim to the City: A request for compensation if you believe the City is legally responsible for a bodily injury or property damage you have experienced. Typical claims include requests for compensation for: 
    • Damage to cars due to potholes
    • Injuries from slipping on a sidewalk
    • Foundation damage from City trees
  • Disputing Parking Tickets and other Provincial Offences Act (POA) Fines: A request to review a parking ticket or other POA ticket, pursuant to the available legal options under the Provincial Offences Act. These options are detailed on the back of issued tickets as well as the aforementioned City of Ottawa website
  • Compliment: An expression of approval for a City of Ottawa service, staff member, program, product or process.

Submitting a Complaint

In order to submit a formal complaint to the City, you will be asked to provide the following information:

  • Details of what happened
  • Where did this happen?  Is it within the City’s area of responsibility?
  • When?
  • Who was involved?
  • What was said or done?
  • What kind of resolution is being sought?
  • Contact details of the complainant

All complaints will be dealt with in a confidential manner according to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.  Information will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Act.  More information on the Act is available on our website.

Ready to submit a complaint?

Please select the appropriate department:

Other City Departments

Community & Social Services – Ontario Works, Child Care, Emergency Shelters, Affordable Housing

Finance and Corporate Services – Property Tax & Water Accounts, Collections, 3-1-1 Contact Centre, ottawa.ca, Client Service Centres, Courthouse & Provincial Offences, Media Relations, News Releases, Media Advisories, Job Postings, Legal Services, Claims, Fleet Services, Procurement

Emergency & Protective Services – By-law Services, Ottawa Fire, Office of Emergency Management, Corporate Security

Office of the City Clerk – French Language Services, Accessibility Office, Elections Office, Access to Information, City of Ottawa Archives, Protocol, Council and Committee meetings

Planning, Real Estate & Economic Development – Building Permits, Plan Approvals, Zoning, Development Reviews, Business Improvement Areas, Economic Development, Corporate Real Estate

Public Works --   Road Maintenance, Park Maintenance, Recycling & Garbage Collection, Traffic Services

Infrastructure & Water Services -- Drinking Water Services, Wastewater Services, Design & Construction of City Infrastructure

Recreation, Cultural & Facility Services – Recreation Programs, Museums, Arts, Hall & Sports Fields Rentals, City Building Maintenance

Transit Services – OC Transpo, Para Transpo