Website Overhaul and Redevelopment - one time grant
New Brunswick Refugee Clinic will overhaul its website to improve functionality and develop an online, interactive, multi-language public legal education and legal resource centre for the benefit of refugee claimants, vulnerable newcomers, and community workers in New Brunswick.
$ 24,725
March 30, 2021
Know Your Rights Atlantic Canada
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind Foundation (CNIB) will create and disseminate "Know Your Rights" resources for individuals living with sight loss in PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The resources will be tailored to support those living with sight loss who experience discrimination in various areas of their lives. This work is an expansion of CNIB’s Ontario-focused Know Your Rights (KYR) project, which was launched in 2018 with the support of a Foundation grant. This initiative will connect community members with the legal resources needed to navigate the justice system and self-advocate to challenge discrimination.
$ 75,000
March 30, 2021
Caring for Our Elders Project
The Anishinabek Nation Union of Ontario Indians (AN) will create and disseminate public legal education resources tailored to Anishinabek Elders living on and off reserve. The resources will provide plain language information on matrimonial real property laws, wills and estates, and elder abuse. The content on matrimonial real property and wills and estates will incorporate relevant portions of the Indian Act for Elders living on reserve. This initiative will benefit Elders from AN’s 39 First Nations communities by connecting them to culturally responsive legal resources.
$ 100,000
March 30, 2021
National Self Represented Litigants Project Atlantic Chapter
The Access to Justice & Law Reform Institute of Nova Scotia (The Institute) will develop the Atlantic Canada chapter of the National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP). The Institute will work with the national NSRLP team to develop public legal education resources tailored to the civil legal needs of self-represented litigants (SRLs) in PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The initiative will connect SRLs to resources needed to effectively navigate the court process on their own.
$ 92,764
March 30, 2021
Restorative Justice in Environmental Law Project
The East Coast Environmental Law Association will conduct research on the use of restorative justice processes to resolve environmental legal disputes. This research will inform the development of a guide on how a restorative justice process can be initiated for an environmental legal conflict. This initiative will benefit restorative justice practitioners, lawyers, and communities in Nova Scotia who are seeking alternatives to litigation.
$ 18,400
March 30, 2021
Empowering Refugees, Eliminating Barriers and Combating Misinformation: Supporting Chinese Refugees through Education and Research
The Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) will develop and disseminate legal resources tailored to the needs of Chinese refugees across Ontario. The resources will cover the refugee claims process, how to prepare a humanitarian and compassionate grounds claim, labour rights, how to apply for temporary resident permits, and the options for legal recourse for those experiencing gender-based violence. CCNCTO will also share guidelines for selecting and working with legal representatives and immigration consultants. Partners include Butterfly: Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network. This initiative will connect Chinese refugees in Ontario to culturally and linguistically responsive legal resources.
$ 75,000
March 30, 2021
Indigenous Peoples' Court of Peterborough
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough will work alongside other members of the Indigenous Peoples’ Court (IPC) committee to pilot a bi-weekly provincial court in Peterborough for Indigenous individuals facing criminal charges. The IPC committee consists of representatives from First Nations communities, Friendship Centres, Legal Aid Ontario, and the Ministry of the Attorney General. Grant funds will be used to hire an Indigenous court worker who will raise awareness among court personnel of the IPC process and provide system navigation support to those participating in the court. Through this initiative, the IPC committee will work to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system.
$ 44,930
March 30, 2021
Indigenous Human Rights Program
Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) will host bi-monthly human rights summary advice clinics as well as public legal education sessions for Indigenous communities in Ottawa and Thunder Bay. Community members will receive summary advice from volunteer lawyers on their rights under the Human Rights Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act. PBSC students will conduct intake and facilitate referrals during the clinics. Partners include the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC). The OFIFC will lead Indigenous cultural competency training for the volunteer lawyers and PBSC students. This initiative will enhance Indigenous communities’ access to culturally responsive legal support.
$ 100,000
March 30, 2021
Catalyst 2021
Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC) works to end gender-based violence across communities through education, research, and policy. The Catalyst grant supports METRAC’s Community Justice Program, which works to build individual, community, and organizational capacity in the City of Toronto and across Ontario, through legal education and information, research, and partnerships to increase access to justice for women and youth affected by violence. While METRAC’s programming is designed to benefit all women and youth experiencing violence, there is a particular focus on reaching isolated and vulnerable women including Indigenous women, newcomer women, LGBTQ2S communities, women with disabilities, and older women.
$ 222,745
March 30, 2021
Protection Orders: An Empirical Foundation
The Law Commission of Ontario will undertake empirical research examining the efficacy of family protection orders. This initiative will support data-based decision making to more effectively protect individuals experiencing family violence in Ontario.
$ 86,000
February 23, 2021
