Archives: Grants (page 2)

University of Windsor, 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.

Queen's University, 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.

Disability Justice Network of Ontario will enhance its resources to continue to meet the needs identified by racialized people with disabilities who are incarcerated or otherwise in contact with the criminal justice system. Program activities will include the province-wide expansion of the EnAbling Justice: Access and Autonomy for Disabled People Facing Criminalization in Ontario handbook and the creation of accessible digital and print resources. The objective of this program is to support disabled people as they navigate the intersection of ableism, racism, and incarceration and give them increased knowledge, confidence, and autonomy when their dignity and freedom are at stake.

Through this program, ABLE2 will increase legal knowledge for people with disabilities and provide them with referrals to appropriate legal professionals, including three hours of free legal advice. Volunteers from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Common Law will make referrals to volunteer lawyers, mediators, and paralegals. A plain-language legal library will be created to help clients better understand their rights and a Chat Box monitored by student volunteers will respond to questions and refer clients to relevant resources. Legal education workshops will be provided for people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, employers, community organizations, and the public.

NELO Immigrant and Community Services (NICS) will provide legal education workshops to newcomers in the Black Creek community in Toronto. Workshop topics will include immigration and refugee law, employment rights and protections, housing rights, family law, and legal aid and access to services. The workshop presentations and materials will be published online and on social media in the languages spoken by NICS clients. Partners include pro bono lawyers and the Rexdale Community Legal Clinic. The objective of the project is to fill a gap in culturally sensitive legal information and access to services to newcomers in the Black Creek area.

African Community Services of Peel (ACSP) will establish a legal program to empower African newcomers and Black youth in Peel Region to better understand their rights and the justice system. The program will host legal education workshops, provide summary advice to individuals, enhance the scope of ACSP’s youth peer mentorship programs to include legal education, and facilitate digital literacy training. Partners include Peel Regional Police, individuals with lived experience, volunteer lawyers, and community legal clinics. The program aims to increase legal literacy and improve legal outcomes for newcomers and youth.

The Working Centre will support unhoused people in Kitchener, including those who are drug users and repeatedly involved in the criminal justice system, who incur preventable administrative charges. The project aims to help this group overcome the barriers they face in understanding the court system. With three added staff members, it will be better able to provide system navigation services through the court process, as well as community system navigation and referrals. Additionally, the program will inform clients of unknown warrants they may have and support them to turn themselves in and develop a plan.

Animal Environmental Legal Advocacy will offer free summary legal advice to low and modest-income individuals and organizations facing animal and environmental legal challenges in Ontario. Working closely with law students to provide this service, it aims to address over 100 inquiries each year.

This partnership will allow Laidlaw Foundation to expand support for Black and Indigneous youth-led access to justice initiatives through their Youth Action Fund. Funding will be used to support 10 grassroots projects addressing systemic barriers in education, justice, and child welfare.

The Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest (KNCLN), in partnership with Queen’s Law and Queen’s Law clinics, will establish the Katarokwi Indigenous Law Clinic (KILC) in Kingston by studying best practices in Indigenous legal services, support, education, and advocacy. The clinic will host an articling student to provide frontline legal services and connect clients with existing services at Queen’s Law. This project will develop a business plan and long-term funding strategy and support the development of a legal clinic tailored to the particular needs of the Kingston Indigenous community.