Archives: Grants (page 15)

Women’s College Hospital (WCH) will pilot a program to improve access to justice for survivors of human trafficking in Toronto. The project will help reduce barriers preventing survivors from testifying in court against their traffickers. They will be able to remotely testify from a safe room at WCH, with the support of an advocate present. Survivors will also have access to supports through Victim Services Toronto to assist them to testify, including access to a trauma dog trained to provide emotional support during court proceedings.

The Survivors’ Secretariat will purchase Investigative Case Management software to link records that document the lived experiences of children who attended the Mohawk Institute Residential School. This project will enable Survivors and their families to access information, build capacity to manage large volume of documents, ensure Indigenous data sovereignty, and support the human rights of the dead, disappeared, and Survivors. It is estimated that between 1828 and 1970, 15,000 Indigenous children were taken from 60 First Nations communities and enrolled at the Mohawk Institute, and the Secretariat is aware of at least 100 children whose deaths are associated with the Institute.

Christie Refugee Welcome Centre will run the Centre for Refugee Children (the Centre). The Centre will continue to operate its Child Representative Legal Support Program that provides minors who recently arrived in Ontario without immigration status and without a parent or legal guardian with qualified volunteer designated representatives at all stages of their refugee claim or immigration process. The Centre will continue to respond to an emerging demand by providing support through the admissibility hearing process at the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University will continue to develop and build their legal clinic that will respond to access to justice needs in the local community and provide student enrichment opportunities through experiential learning and other means.

The University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Law will conduct activities that respond to access to justice needs in the local community and provide student enrichment opportunities through experiential learning and other means.

The Hamilton HUB will expand its existing case management and system navigation programming to serve individuals including those experiencing homelessness, those restricted from other services, high-risk youth (ages 18-27), and those with substance use disorders. Services will include court support and public legal education about navigating the justice system.

Elizabeth Fry Society of Kingston will provide individualized wraparound court support and accompaniment, system navigation, referrals, public legal information, and practical assistance to women who have been charged with provincial and/or federal offences, are involved in family law matters, or face other legal challenges in the Kingston area. Partners for this work include Queen's Law clinics.

Counterpoint will develop and implement training modules to enable women survivors of intimate partner violence to understand and participate in the criminal justice system.

University of Ottawa, Common Law Section will provide experiential learning for students through various clinics including the Prison Law Clinic, Startup Law Clinic, EcoJustice Clinic, Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, and Mediation Clinic. It will also prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion through mentorship and fellowship programs and a tutorial program for students from equity-seeking groups.

University of Ottawa, Civil Law Section will provide experiential learning opportunities for students through 8 co-op internships and summer school opportunities in Indigenous communities. It will continue to operate the Notarial Law Clinic and the Interdisciplinary Clinic in Social Law (in partnership with the School of Social Work and the School of Nursing). It will also produce a documentary related to legal research identified during the year.