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In the eight months Arâ€" thiur Maloney has been Onâ€" been called everything from But the toughâ€"minded, former criminal lawyer, who represegnted 125 acâ€" cused murderers in a 32â€" year legal career, has never had any doubts about his role as defender of the little guy against burgeoning and sometimes injust governâ€" ment bureaucracies. "If an individual takes on the bureaucracy, very often his voice will only be a whisper in an unequal struggle. The office of the ombudsman can lessen or remove this inequality," The ombudsman protects § us from big government _ | Mr. Maloney also sees his office as "a successful and effective means to huâ€" manize government and to smooth the rough edges of relationships between citiâ€" zens and bureaucracies."‘ He intends to take a tough, uncompromising stance with provincial government ministries, agencies and commissions â€" that â€" have dealt unjust or insensitive decisions to individual citiâ€" Under the law, he has the power to subpoena governâ€" ment records, files and witâ€" nesses in his quest to unâ€" ravel the true story behind a citizen‘s complaint. ( jy, EMERKGENCL T %â€" al REGIONAL of WATERLOO However, the individual By Mary Stupart said recently in Waterâ€" 4 Pc, Bedroom Suite 2 Boudoir Lamps 7 Piece Kitchen Suite with extension Large 3â€"Seater Sofa and matching chair 2 End Tables 4 Cnfien Tabhie 1 Cofftee Table C 2 Living Room Lamps â€" 9 x 12‘ Car ___ _ _ NO $ DOWN NO PAYMENTS TILL MAY INSTANT DELIVERY have discovered in the past isn‘t always right, as Mr. Maloney and his staff of 80 just getting a government department to explain why it has made a decision is enough to satisfy the comâ€" work â€" determining if the citizen has a legitimate complaint and what can be done about it. Because his office is so new, the public has bomâ€" hundreds of â€" complaints over which he has no jurisâ€" diction. One woman wanted him to find out why a new sweater had shrunk after only one wash. Another man wanted his help to get a guarantee honored on his car‘s transmission. And then there were comâ€" plaints from the soâ€"called lunatic fringe. One man wanted the ombudsman to help him establish his claim to the British throne as Prince of Wales. Another complained about a strange machine, hovering outside his window, that shot elecâ€" tronic rays when he and his wife made love. Mr. Maloney takes all these people in his stride, refusing to turn anyone away from his office emptyâ€" handed. For people with psychiatric © problems, he has developed a referral system with the Clarke Inâ€" stitute. For complainants with problems that can be handled by existing review and appeal boards, he has established a referral netâ€" work with civil servants in government _ departments and commissions. We don‘t just drop these people when they contact us ... We refer them to the correct person and we do whatever preliminary enâ€" quiries we can," he said. _A vital function of the ombudsman‘s office is to _ Regional news February 4, 1978 of so the citizen knows who to see with a particular probâ€" lem. In this area, Mr. Maâ€" loney hopes to relieve some of the work load now restâ€" ing on regular members of the legislature. "I‘ve always taken the ber of the legislature is an ombudsman in his own right. They are my fellow ombudsâ€" men. But we will have office facilities and _ expertise that the elected members won‘t have. We should be able to save them a great amount of time,‘‘ he said. By law, the ombudsman can only investigate comâ€" plaints against provincial government agencies, comâ€" missions and â€" ministries after the citizen has exâ€" hausted all other existing forms of appeal. That means the ombudsman can‘t inâ€" vestigate a complaint aâ€" gainst the Workman‘s Comâ€" pensation Board, for exâ€" ample, unless the citizen has already pursued it through all regular appeal channels. If the citizen is still unhappy with the govâ€" ernment‘s decision â€" after all appeals have been exâ€" hausted, the ombudsman is empowered to investigate. Some of the things the ombudsman can‘t do are investigate complaints against municipal or federal governments, question deâ€" cisions made by the courts or the cabinet or interfere between lawyers and their clients. In an effort to make the role of his office known to the people of Ontario, Mr. Maloney has spoken to more than 22,000 people across the province in public and private hearings. In the next few months, he plans kasing, Cochrane, Windsor and Ottawa to bring his ofâ€" fice closer to the people. _ Mr. Maloney says he is committed to formulating a blueprint in the next year for the future operation of his office. As he tours Onâ€" tario, he asks audiences what kind of service they would like and whether the ombudsman should have regional offices in ‘addition to Toronto offices. He is convinced that every Ontario â€" resident â€" should be able to communicate their problems in their own language. His staff of inâ€" vestigators, which includes exâ€"policemen, former soâ€" cial workers, lawyers and Rummelhart Auction Sales Co. 744â€"9679 578â€"0060 KEN GARVEY Licensed Auctioneer ‘* vice for professional comâ€" : plainers. The cost of operatâ€" d ing the office for one year 6 won‘t be known until the 15 first budget is submitted g. to the legislature at the t end of February. Between q. 10 and 80 employees are wa currently on staff. is Mr. Maloney is quick to a jump to the defense of ir â€" his office. In the last eight of months, he received more nâ€" _ than 2,000 complaints. While »s some of them are trivial y or outside his jurisdiction, ie he contends that many of 1e â€" them are legitimate, grieâ€" exâ€"footbail players, speaks more than 13 languages inâ€" cluding Estonian, Yiddish, Hebrew, Italian, Russian, Ukranian and Czech. Critics have accused the Arthur Maloney, Ontario‘s ombudsman, acts as a buffer between the inâ€" dividual and big government. be righted. tions and special services, Ellien Adams, briefly desâ€" was in Waterloo. The comâ€" plainant was a man who l!ad been refused compensation for an injury. After reading His director of instituâ€" of providing Loing . . . Loing the complaint, she concludâ€" ed that the injury, received 25 years ago, was compenâ€" sable. “Whfi I told him I beâ€" lieved him, the man‘s whole attitude changed ... It‘s goâ€" ing to take a week of investiâ€" gation to check further into the case, but I think the man deserves it. He has a right to expect redress for a One power that the omâ€" budsman has barely touched to date is his ability to initiâ€" ‘ate investigations on his own without specific comâ€" plaints. An example of this type of role is his recent investigation into prison conditions that will be preâ€" sented to the legislature in the near future. Mr. Maloney hopes to exerâ€" cise his initiative power more often in the future after his staff has caught up with the current backâ€" log of complaints. ‘"I think it‘s going to be a very important power for the ombudsman in the future which will help nip grievâ€" ances in the bud. But I must give priority to thep peoâ€" ple who have already reâ€" gistered complaints. I look forward to the time when I can initiate more enquirâ€" Honoxa CIVIC Kingsway Auto Haus Ltd. 2256 KINGSWAY DR. KITCHENER ONT. 744â€"4119 Although the provincial statute setting up the omâ€" budsman‘s office allows Mr. Maloney to fine or imâ€" prison people who mislead or lie to him, he thinks one of the most effective tools of his office is moral perâ€" Simply by existing, the ombudsman‘s office makes bureaucrats a little more conscious and sensitive of the individual‘s rights. If bureaucracies misuse their powers or make a mistake, the ombudsman and his trademark, the avenging gryphon of mythology, are always ready to swoop down and ask why. How to reach Ask About Our Unlimited Mileage Warranty the ombudsman You can contact the ombudsman with your complaints by writing to Office of the Ombudsman, West, Toronto or by telephoning 362â€"7331. All information reâ€" ceived by the omâ€" budsman is kept strictly confidential. +$3,159.00 Street