Tarion’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Barber to the position of New Home Ombuds. Tom has 20 years of experience investigating and resolving complaints and ensuring a fair outcome.
“I’m looking forward to having Mr. Barber start in his new role as our New Home Ombuds,” said Andy Kenins, Tarion’s Board Chair. “He brings a wealth of experience in this area from other important Ontario organizations which, like Tarion, are there to serve the public. I am confident he will be a valuable resource for home buyers to address questions or concerns.”
Mr. Barber recently headed the Fair Practices Commission, the organizational ombudsman for the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) in Ontario. The Commission provides timely resolution of individual complaints about the WSIB’s services and makes recommendations for improvements. He joined the Commission in 2017 as deputy commissioner and was appointed to a five-year term as Commissioner in November 2020 by the WSIB’s Board of Directors.
Before moving to the Commission, Mr. Barber spent 10 years in various roles at the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman, including early resolution officer, investigator and manager. The Ombudsman oversees and investigates complaints about more than 1,000 provincial government and broader public sector bodies, such as provincial ministries, Crown corporations, municipalities, universities, and school boards.
Mr. Barber began his complaints investigation career in 2004 in the standards enforcement department at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (now CPA Ontario), the regulatory body for public accountants in Ontario.
A graduate of Brock University, Mr. Barber completed the Osgoode/FCO Certificate program Advanced Issues in Ombuds Practice in 2021.
For more information on the New Home Ombuds office, visit www.newhomeombuds.com