Meet the Alberta Ombudsman - Peter Hourihan

Peter was sworn in as Alberta’s eighth Ombudsman in October 2011.

Originally from Three Hills, Alberta and later Calgary, Peter spent 35 years in the RCMP.  His career took him to all provinces in western Canada and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.  He worked in a variety of policing roles including the Criminal Operations Officer for Alberta where he oversaw all police operations and as the Commanding Officer for British Columbia, he was responsible for all federal, provincial and municipal police operations and activities.

Peter is an experienced mediator.  He has taught courses at the college level in Saskatchewan and was involved heavily in the internal RCMP program where he assisted in developing programs and delivering training.  He has also worked internationally with the Department of Public Safety in Texas, USA, in the development and implementation of its mandatory mediation program.  Additionally, Peter has significant experience as a decision-maker as well as an advisor in the areas of discipline and grievances.

Peter has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Athabasca University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa.  He received the Long Service medal in 1996, Bronze Clasp in 2001 and Silver Clasp in 2006.  He received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.

One of five Legislative Officers for Alberta, the Ombudsman promotes fairness in public administration and investigates complaints from individuals regarding unfair actions or decisions made by provincial government department, agencies, boards and commissions and some professional organizations.  The Alberta Ombudsman’s office provides education and training to groups who want to ensure that the decisions they make are clear, transparent and informative.

Peter is married to Donna.  They enjoy meeting new people, the outdoors, travel and the big prairie sky!  They have two adult children, Chris and Michelle.