Bruce Kidd reflects on his role as U of T’s Ombudsperson, the office’s evolution, its impact and its continued significance in an ever-changing academic environment (photo courtesy of U of T Scarborough)
Published: April 3, 2025
By Mariam Matti
For half a century, the Office of the Ombudsperson has been a cornerstone of fairness and impartiality at the University of Toronto, offering support to students, staff, faculty, and librarians navigating university-related challenges while also addressing broader systemic concerns.
Since 2021, Professor Emeritus Bruce Kidd has served as the Ombudsperson. A former Olympian, Kidd has held many significant roles at U of T, including the founding dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and vice-president and principal at the U of T Scarborough. Kidd will conclude his term on June 30, 2025, with Professor Faye Mishna of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, assuming the role for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2025.
In this Q&A, Kidd, a self-proclaimed “U of T lifer,” reflects on the office’s evolution, its impact and its continued significance in an ever-changing academic environment.
You’ve had a long history with U of T. What has it meant to you to serve as Ombudsperson?
It’s been incredible. I came to the university in the 1950s as a high school student and never left. To be able to cap my time off here by contributing to a culture of fairness, respect and equity – boy, what a wonderful opportunity that’s been for me.
Why is the role of the Ombudsperson so important to U of T?
The Office of the Ombudsperson ensures that decisions at the university are made with procedural fairness and reasonableness in mind.
If a student, faculty, librarian or staff member thinks that a process wasn't followed or that a decision was not reasonable, they can raise their concern with us. We carefully apply our terms of reference to determine whether it’s appropriate for us to deal with. If it is, we provide supportive advice, review the relevant policy to see whether it has been properly applied, we'll see whether the decision is reasonable and if necessary, we'll speak with the people involved. In rare cases, we may conduct a full investigation.
We don't take sides or act as advocates. People get in touch with us and say, ‘could you take up my case?’ That's not our role. Instead, we ensure that decisions are made fairly, and that our work is impartial and confidential.
A big part of our work is helping people navigate U of T’s tri-campus system. They may come to us without realizing there are other offices better suited to address their concerns. So, in those cases, we advise them on where to go.
How does the office ensure fairness when addressing conflicts?
We use what is called the Fairness Triangle, developed by the pan-Canadian Ombuds community, to assess procedural fairness, the treatment of the individual and the final decision.
First, we review the policy behind the decision and see whether that policy has been appropriately followed. We look to see whether the individual has been fairly treated in a trauma-informed and equity-conscious way. Then we consider whether the decision itself was reasonable.
There could be two or three possible outcomes or decisions. Our job is not to redo the decision. We're not a court of appeal and we're not a decision maker. We’re there to determine that the outcome that the decision maker made was reasonable.
How has the role of the Ombudsperson evolved over the years?
One change over the last 50 years is that there've been additional offices that help students, faculty, staff and librarians with complaints and concerns. When the office was established 50 years ago, it was really the only place in the university where issues of fairness could be formally dealt with. While I’ve been here, I’ve seen the establishment of the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre, the Institutional Equity Office, and so on.
So, we're no longer the office of first instance, we're the office of last resort. If it’s an equity concern or if it's a sexual harassment concern, then we direct the individual to those offices first. Only if they're unhappy with those decisions do they come to us.
What advice do you have for students, staff, faculty and librarians when it comes to resolving matters in general?
Before escalating a concern, individuals are encouraged to first attempt to resolve issues locally and informally, as appropriate to the situation. If comfortable, they should start by speaking directly with the person who made the decision, approaching them constructively to discuss their concerns. If this approach does not lead to a resolution, the outlined pathway for raising the concern through more formal channels can be followed. We are available to provide advice and point to applicable policies and processes.
Where can U of T community members find the Office of the Ombudsperson?
The easiest way to get in contact is to go to the Office of the Ombudsperson website and submit a form in the ‘contact us’ tab.
We call those requests for assistance. We strive to, and I believe we're generally successful in, providing prompt responses to every request for assistance.
Any predictions for the next 50 years?
It’s hard to predict what the future holds for the Office of the Ombudsperson – it adapts alongside the evolving values and challenges of both the university and society. One thing I don’t think that will change is our focus that decisions are made fairly, impartially and confidentially. It’s been a pleasure to serve as the university’s ombudsperson and play a role in its storied history.