FCO Invites Submissions for Canadian Ombuds Research Award

The Forum of Canadian Ombudsman is seeking proposals for a paper that will clearly articulate the current Ombuds role in the Canadian context. The expectation is that this foundational paper will assist the public and potential users of Ombuds services to better understand how this role contributes to fairness. The main deliverable will be a concise report of 5,000 words written in clear, plain language (French or English) with an intended audience of Ombuds practitioners in Canada, the public and the media. FCO will award $10,000 including taxes and expenses for this research project. The deadline for submission of proposals is no later than noon September 15 2008. (FCO Hoffman Award.)

The award honors Liz Hoffman, who had a long career as an Ombuds. She became an Ombuds at Carleton University in the 1970's and subsequently served as the Ombuds at the University of Toronto, Ryerson Polytechnic, and the Ontario College of Art. She was a founding member of FCO and served on its board for many years. In 1999, she joined the National Defence/Canadian Forces Ombudsman’s Office where she worked until her death from melanoma at age 54 in January 2006.