Complaints procedure

At the Heart and Stroke Foundation, we strive to meet and surpass your expectations.

After all, without your support, we would not be able to continue to help Canadians live longer, fuller lives.

However, we know that there may be times when we do not meet our own high standards. When this happens, we want to hear about it, deal with the situation as quickly as possible and put measures in place to keep it from happening again.

We take your concerns very seriously and we treat them as an opportunity to grow and change. This is why we are always very grateful to hear from people who are willing to take the time to help us improve.

So, how can you tell us about your concerns?

Please choose one from among these three options:

  1. You can call us at 613- 569-4361. One of our friendly staff will be ready and willing to help. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outside of these hours, please leave us a message and a contact number and we will make every effort to return your call by the next business day.
  2. You can email us at contact@hsf.ca
  3. Or you can write to us at:

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
222 Queen Street, Suite 1402
Ottawa, Ont. K1P 5V9

Please include your name, address and contact telephone number in your email or letter so that we can get back in touch with you easily.

How long will it take to receive a response?

We try to respond to all complaints within 10 business days. However, you will receive an acknowledgment of your complaint within the first 5 days of receipt. If we think it will take longer, we will let you know.

Please contact us in whichever way is most convenient to you and we will respond to you via the same method unless instructed otherwise.

What we will do

We will work diligently to fix problems, correct mistakes and address concerns. We will always treat you with courtesy and respect, listen to what you say, keep you informed about our progress, and finally provide you with a response.

From time to time we receive complaints that do not relate directly to something that the Heart and Stroke Foundation is responsible for. We are a charity with limited resources and we must use these in the best way possible.

There may be rare occasions when we choose not to respond to a complaint. These include:

  • When a complaint is about something that the Foundation has no direct connection to. We may choose to reply to clear our name but we are not obliged to.
  • When someone unreasonably pursues a complaint that we have already responded to. They will be given escalation points, but we may choose not to reply again and we will always inform you of our decision to do this.
  • When a complainant is being obviously abusive, prejudiced or offensive in their manner.
  • When a complainant is harassing a staff member.
  • When a complaint is incoherent or illegible.
  • When a complaint has clearly been sent to us and numerous other organizations as part of a bulk mailing or email. In this instance we can choose whether it is necessary for us to reply or not.
  • The Foundation cannot respond to complaints made anonymously. However, we will investigate the complaint and use the information to improve in any way that we can.

On behalf of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, we want to thank you for your continued support.