The Ombudsman receives requests from members of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute community to ensure that they are treated fairly and equitably. It is possible to contact her to obtain information, advice or to expose a situation that one considers unfair. When an intervention is requested, the ombudsman first ensures that internal recourses have been exhausted or that administrative steps have been taken without success.
We can…
- Welcome the person in a manner that respects their needs, difficulties, or concerns.
- Advise, assist, and provide information regarding policies, guidelines, or regulations, as well as available recourses.
- Refer someone to available resources.
- Participate in the search for mutually satisfactory solutions.
- Facilitates exchanges with the administration.
- Investigate as needed to assess the merits of a request.
- Obtain all relevant documents for further investigation.
- Ask questions of any person.
- Intervene to attempt to resolve the dispute.
- Make recommendations if necessary.
- Refer the matter to the appropriate authorities or even to the University Council if no action has been taken on the recommendations that have been made.
- Intervene in a conflict between two members of the community.
We cannot…
- Act as a representative or legal advisor
- Be a substitute for the administration.
- Intervene when the recourses provided for, have not been exercised
- Intervene when the situation is the subject of a legal remedy or when external proceedings are initiated.
- Act as a tribunal or impose a viewpoint
- Act as a conduit.
- Get involved in administrative and decision-making structures.
- Dealing with requests that do not concern the IRCM
