A spokesman for the City of Laval ombudsman’s office is dismissing a suggestion that a positive satisfaction survey published recently by the office – raising its profile and image – was released just as the Boyer administration is carrying out or contemplating budget cuts.
The ombudsman released the results of the survey conducted by Léger Marketing among 505 Laval residents “to measure awareness of the office and the public’s expectations of it,” the office said in a statement last week.
Support strong, survey says
According to the municipal agency, which serves as an arm’s length liaison between municipal departments and city council to resolve citizen complaints, the results suggest that while awareness remains limited, support for the ombudsman’s role is particularly strong.
Established in its current form in 2013, Laval’s ombudsman’s office describes itself as an impartial, confidential and free service offered to citizens who believe their municipal rights have been violated or are likely to be.
The ombudsman can intervene on their behalf, at the request of an individual or group of individuals, or at the request of the executive-committee or city council. According to the findings in the survey, only 30 per cent of respondents were aware of the ombudsman’s existence before the survey.
However, once the ombudsman’s role was explained, support by respondents increased, with 88 per cent saying they believed a municipal ombudsman’s office was important, and 84 per cent saying they would be willing to use it if they had a problem.
A need to communicate
The survey suggested that for the ombudsman’s office, the main obstacle was not opposition to the role, but a lack of information. It also indicated that a significant proportion of the City of Laval’s population didn’t know how to contact the ombudsman or didn’t fully understand the scope of the role.
In a statement, the ombudsman’s office said “the findings confirm the need to intensify efforts in terms of visibility, institutional education and accessibility,” while adding that the results also show a high level of trust in the principles underpinning the office’s mission.
According to the results, between 92 and 97 per cent of the survey’s respondents associated the ombudsman with values of fairness, transparency and impartiality.
Furthermore, the respondents said they wanted the ombudsman to contribute to improving the communication of decisions, to explain the rationale behind them and to strengthen administrative accountability.
“This perception confirms the legitimacy of this independent body within the democratic process and the Laval municipal ecosystem,” the ombudsman’s office said in its statement.
Support should continue
They said the results indicated that between 95 and 98 per cent of respondents believed the city must fully support the ombudsman, provide the office with the necessary resources and give the office the tools needed to carry out its mission.
“Such a high level of support is exceptional,” the office continued in its statement. “It reflects a clear expectation: that of being able to rely on a credible and independent counterweight in the relationship between the municipal administration and the public.”
“This survey sends us a clear message: the public recognizes the importance of an independent office to listen to them, support them and contribute to equitable solutions,” ombudsman office head Nathalie Blais said in the statement.
“It also underscores our responsibility to raise awareness of our role so that every citizen knows that there is recourse when a situation seems hopeless,” she added.
Results to serve as guidance
She said the results of the survey will guide the ombudsman office’s future actions, particularly in the areas of communication, accessibility and organizational development.
“The objective remains the same: to raise awareness of the ombudsman’s role, strengthen public trust and continue to offer an impartial, rigorous and accessible service to the residents of Laval.”
Since tabling the City of Laval’s 2026 budget last December, the Boyer administration has been visibly seeking ways to trim expenses.
“The preparation of the 2026 budget was marked by a particularly challenging financial context,” the city said in a press release issued last year. “The impact of high inflation, which continues to put pressure on the costs of services and contracts, is particularly noteworthy.”
The cuts included the recent and unpopular closing of the mini-zoo/animal farm at the Centre de la nature, which had been in operation for more than 50 years.
No major spending planned
Leading up to its re-election in November, the Boyer administration also pledged to follow a path of relative austerity over the next four years, while saying no costly major projects comparable to Place Bell or the Aquatic Complex were planned.
Last Monday, ombudsman’s office spokesperson Pierre Tessier told The Laval News that the survey was commissioned and carried out in November and December last year, before the Boyer administration began speaking about budget cuts.
“It was always the intention by the ombudsman to know and measure the pulse,” he said. “Because even though we never doubted the public’s awareness of the role of the ombudsman, we wanted to have actual numbers to be positioned in a few years time to see whether our message was getting out there and bearing fruit.”
