Archives: Grants

Through an Ontario Region Advocate (ORA) position, the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies will deliver a Regional Advocacy Program that advances access to justice for federally sentenced women and gender-diverse people in Kitchener-Waterloo at Grand Valley Institution for Women by providing training, information, resources, and ongoing support about the legislative and policy framework regulating federal penitentiaries and federally sentenced people in Canada.

Through a coordinator role at the E Naaknind Anishinaabeg – Indigenous Peoples’ Court, the Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre will increase services for urban Indigenous people in Peterborough and the surrounding area who are involved in the criminal justice system. The coordinator will facilitate court operations, support the involvement of Elders, and develop and deliver healing plans for the accused, all with the aim of considering alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases and supporting reconciliation by increasing the participation of Indigenous communities in the administration of justice through restorative justice and other programs.

Through its Migrant Worker Pesticide Exposure project, Ecojustice Canada Society will gather information about Canadian farms’ compliance with pesticide labels and safety requirements by conducting a survey around migrant worker exposure to pesticides in Ontario. Ecojustice will disseminate research findings and work with partners to develop best practices. Ecojustice will also publish public legal information and deliver workshops in collaboration with their partners to ensure migrant agricultural workers are aware of pesticide risks, occupational hazards, as well as their rights and the legal protections available to them.

The Middlesex Law Association (MLA), in partnership with the University of Western Ontario and the City of London, will carry out research on the legal needs of citizens in Middlesex County. MLA will analyze court docket data, survey legal professionals and citizens, produce two toolkits to help citizens access legal help and prepare for court, and host a community roundtable with justice groups to share findings and discuss solutions to gaps in services. The objective of this project is to understand gaps, help residents navigate the justice system, and support community dialogue on potential solutions.

Let’s Bee Connected Foundation, AGATA Resource Centre, and Impact’N Communities Foundation are working collaboratively to support Black and vulnerable youth, particularly those with lived experience of the justice or child welfare systems in Scarborough. This grant will support a needs assessment that centers grassroots legal education, legal navigation, and embedding resources in existing support systems at the community level. The needs assment will support the three organizations in developing legal supports for the youth they already support.

Vivi’r LGBTQ+ (Vivi’r) is a nonprofit charity dedicated to empowering Spanish speaking LGBTQ+ newcomers to Toronto who need support with immigration, refugee, and human rights systems. Vivi’r will hire a part-time Project Coordinator to formalize the peer support program, design intake and training processes, and develop formal referral partnerships.

Through its System Access Project, WomenatthecentrE will connect gender-based violence survivors to trauma-informed system navigation support and tailored public legal education resources. WomenatthecentrE will also collect and share data highlighting the unique barriers faced by survivors, particularly individuals living with disabilities.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation's Justice Research and Policy (NAN Justice) department will conduct legal research and education on First Nations laws. NAN represents the 49 First Nations in the territories covered by the James Bay Treaty No. 9 and the Ontario portion of Treaty No. 5. NAN Justice will complete two engagements with NAN Chiefs, carry out legal research, develop legal education materials, and host two dialogue sessions for NAN First Nations and the general public. The objective of this project is to raise awareness about First Nations’ legal orders, and answer questions related to First Nations law-making and enforcement authorities.

Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), in partnership with TMU’s School of Journalism, will undertake an interdisciplinary initiative to engage law and journalism students in investigative and legal research and education to create a central repository of court filings against the Canadian government by survivors of Indian residential schools, where survivors, their families and communities, as well as legal professionals, advocates, journalists, scholars, and students can access data for further research. It will also work with survivors and their communities to inform them about the impending destruction of Independent Assessment Process (IAP) accounts which hold information vital to uncovering the lived experience of students at residential schools and to potentially identifying missing children.

In response to new Toronto Transit Commission policy, TTCriders will update its Know Your Transit Rights (KYTR) plain-language, multilingual guides and add social media content. TTCriders will implement an outreach plan, aiming to distribute 5,000 printed copies of KYTR to transit users, engage with 120 legal clinics and community agencies, and host up to 10 information workshops per year at community organizations. It will also introduce training for community leaders to facilitate KYTR workshops. The objective of the project is to increase awareness of legal rights and appeals processes related to paratransit (Wheel-Trans) access and transit enforcement.