Meet the Ombudsman

Kevin Fenwick, Q.C.

Kevin Fenwick has been the Saskatchewan Ombudsman since October 2004. His focus has been to “raise the bar” for provincial government services. He says it’s not good enough to only determine whether a decision was fair. How the decision was made and how the person was treated are also important.

Mr. Fenwick asks government to adopt best practices for fairness, just as they might for other areas of service. For example, a policy that would be fair for most citizens might turn out to be unfair for others. Fenwick wants government offices to recognize when this is happening and make adjustments.

Key initiatives to date include:

• Developing Fair Practices Training for government offices.

• Asking government ministries and agencies to set up their own Fair Practices Offices to help them deal with complaints more effectively.

• Making recommendations to government when they could have done better, even if the decision itself was fair.

• Working with northern communities to provide better knowledge of, and access to Ombudsman Saskatchewan.

Before becoming Ombudsman, Mr. Fenwick worked with Saskatchewan Justice as a Mediator and Dispute Resolution Consultant from 1991-2004. There, he gained a broad range of experience as a practitioner and trainer in various models of mediation, conciliation, facilitated communication and other non-adversarial processes. He also earned respect as Chairperson of a significant administrative tribunal, the Farm Tenure Arbitration Board, from 1992 – 2003.

In demand as a mediator, Mr. Fenwick is recognized for his strong interpersonal and communication skills and for his central belief in the importance of respectful processes. He has worked with First Nations individuals and organizations, community groups and professional bodies.

Mr. Fenwick is an engaging speaker, and has been a lecturer at both the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina, an instructor for SIAST, a trainer at the Dispute Resolution Office and a presenter at various professional seminars.

He received his law degree from the University of Saskatchewan and has been a practicing lawyer in Saskatchewan since 1981, including a 14-year general practice in Melville.