“We did a search of our complaint database to discover that well over half of our complaints have some element of red tape as part of the complainant’s story,” said Toronto Ombudsman Fiona Cream as she launched an investigation into bureaucracy at the City of Toronto.  “I’m not talking about the dismantling of rules and procedures that are necessary for the running of good government,” Crean went on to say, “What I’m talking about is the needless duplication or overtly complex procedures, rules and processes that provide no benefit to the public.”

Crean says she wants to hear stories from Toronto residents about red tape they’ve encountered while dealing with the city. She’s asking people to go online by clicking here and says she hopes to report back on the findings in the spring. Cream says her office does not deal with complaints about the ongoing scandal surrounding Mayor Rob Ford.