Watchdog's last bark: Dubé reflects on 10 years

And legislative fine print

ABOVE THE FOLD

It’s the end of an era at the Pink Palace. Today marks the final day for PAUL DUBÉ, the man who has spent the last decade as Ontario’s Ombudsman, shining a light on some of the darkest corners of the provincial bureaucracy.

Taking up the mantle for Dubé, at least for now, is BARBARA FINLAY, the deputy ombudsman. That’s because the Legislature hasn’t finished its hiring process for Dubé’s replacement, and per the legislation, the deputy will take over in the interim.

Ahead of a summer on his bike and time with family, I sat down with the outgoing watchdog to talk about the powder keg that is Ontario’s correctional institutions, the bizarre rise of AI-generated complaints in his inbox, the awkward “merger” of the French Language Services Commissioner into his office, which politicians think he’s a “pain in the butt” and whether Ontarians are better off now than when he started.

Q+A — After a decade, what would you say is your proudest accomplishment in the office?Having b…