Filing a Complaint

It is sometimes difficult to determine how to complain or who to complain to. There is a Municipal Complaint Policy LEG-ADM19 we suggest reading to understand the process and what steps to take. We also have suggestions on how to address your concerns and issues. 

      1. Town employees are usually very helpful and will do their best to resolve issues you may have. Contact the department directly and see if you can resolve you issue informally . Contact information for departments can be found in the Contact Directory. If the issue is how you have been treated, you should contact the Town’s Human Resources and provide details.               
      2. If you are unsuccessful, your next step should be to submit a formal documented complaint to the Town. The Municipal Complaint Policy LEG-ADM19 provides details and a form you can use to submit your complaint. Our preference is to send an email or letter to the Town Clerk at clerk@cobourg.ca providing all the relevant information outlined in the policy and identifying this as a “formal complaint”. The clerk should acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 days. It is important to save all correspondence you have with the Town. 
      3. If the Town has not resolved the complaint to your satisfaction, you have the opportunity to register your complaint with the Ontario Ombudsman. Details on how to submit a complaint can be found on the Ontario Ombudsman web site.  
      4. An alternative to registering a complaint with the Ontario Ombudsman is to do a delegation to Council, outlining your complaint and being specific about what you are asking them to do. To request a delegation, Go to the Town of Cobourg eScribe web page. Find the date of the next Council Meeting on the calendar and click on the meeting. A pop up will appear where you can click on “Delegation request” Fill in the information and someone from the Town Clerk’s office will contact you.

If you need assistance, we are here to help. You can contact us at cta@cobourgtaxpayers.ca