Archives: Grants (page 17)

Laadliyan will create culturally appropriate public legal education videos and a database of legal supports for international students, in particular young, female international students living in Peel Region. The resources developed will be available in English, Punjabi, and Hindi. With limited knowledge about their legal rights in Canada and their vulnerable immigration status, this group faces an elevated level of exploitation by employers and landlords. The objective of the project is to build the students’ capacity to understand and exercise their legal rights.

Level will expand its Environmental Justice Program. The program, developed in partnership with Climate Action Alliance, includes presentations from Elders and other experts on environmental justice, and culminates in a mock negotiation circle where students take on roles representing different parties in a legal environmental dispute. The program provides youth with the skills and education to be advocates for marginalized communities who face the consequences of environmental degradation.

Muslim Legal Support Centre’s Advancing Access to Justice for Vulnerable Muslim Communities in Ontario project will provide court navigation services to help with understanding court proceedings and processes. Language interpretation will be provided for meetings and interactions outside of court proceedings, as well as referrals, where necessary, to other community services and support. Community organizations and leaders will be engaged to raise awareness of the program and will be provided with educational resources on legal rights and reporting incidents of Islamophobia.

Parents of Black Children will create a bilingual legal rights and education toolkit and offer legal navigation services for black students in Ontario. In partnership with Black Legal Action Centre and members of the Student and Family Advocates Initiative, this project will benefit parents of Black children in Ontario facing incidents in schools such as discipline and referrals to the child welfare system. The objective is to provide legal information and support that reflects the lived experience of Black Ontarians in the education system.

Queen’s University Faculty of Law will develop and deliver a clinical course for law students to partner with the Anishinabek Nation to expand the Nation’s governance and legal revitalization work. The clinical course will enhance the capacity of the leadership and members of the Anishinabek Nation to strengthen community wellbeing through effective governance. This project also responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action for law schools to train future lawyers in critical skills and knowledge related to Indigenous history and law.

San Lorenzo Latin American Community Centre will provide in-person workshops and host a live, weekly call-in radio show through their CRTC-licensed radio station (CHHA 1610 AM) to create interactive and engaging community spaces for newcomers and immigrants from Latin American countries living in the Toronto and Hamilton areas. This project will help to inform and connect individuals with legal education, specifically about labour rights and laws in Ontario and where to find support and information in the community.

The Sault Ste. Marie Indian Friendship Centre, in partnership with Dr. Jane Dickson (Carleton University), will pilot a Gladue bail program for Indigenous people in Sault Ste. Marie. A first of its kind in Ontario, the Centre will hire a Gladue Bail Report (GBR) Support Worker to provide support to and oversight of persons released on bail, and to develop and deliver training on the preparation of GBRs and info sessions for defense bar, Crowns, and courts. This initiative will fill a gap in Gladue services as only a modest percentage of courts receive Gladue reports at sentencing.

Scarborough Community Legal Services’ Communities Building Justice Together program will build and develop community-led resources with East Scarborough’s Black and Indigenous communities by providing support navigating the legal system and by providing a platform for community development around access to justice issues.

Society's Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program will adapt its British Columbia-specific Legal Information for Indigenous People booklet into a nationally relevant version. Additions will include sections about status, prisons, borders, and criminal and federal child protection laws. The booklet will be distributed throughout Canada to Indigenous-led and Indigenous-serving organizations, as well as to legal aid organizations. The online version will be updated as required through Clicklaw. The objective of the project is to increase knowledge of the legal issues that affect Indigenous people, including those living on and off reserve communities.

The Women's Centre of Halton will expand its legal services by piloting a family court advocacy program for survivors of intimate partner violence in Halton. In consultation with legal experts, Family Court Advocates will offer case management support and public legal information. The objective of this project is to improve survivors’ knowledge of the legal system and their legal rights and options and to provide access to timely support in navigating the family court system.