Archives: Grants (page 49)

The Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa will provide a two-day intensive advocacy program for 40-50 junior lawyers of the Eastern and Northern Ontario criminal defence bars. The interactive programming will be delivered in partnership with volunteer senior criminal lawyers (including from the Crown Attorney’s office) and judges from all levels of Court. This grant will provide new lawyers, many of whom are practising on their own and without mentorship, with the opportunity to hone their advocacy skills.

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Kingston's C.A.R.E program will provide court accompaniment, system navigation, and public legal education support to women 18 and over in Kingston and the surrounding area. Queen’s University's chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada is a partner. This grant will benefit women in the Kingston community who have been charged with provincial and federal offences under the Criminal Code, as well as those involved in family law matters. The C.A.R.E program aims to empower women to navigate the court process from an informed and supported position.

Empowerment Squared will provide legal information and referral support to racialized newcomer and immigrant students in Hamilton and the surrounding area. Partners include the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic and Justice for Children and Youth.This grant will benefit racialized newcomer and immigrant students experiencing education law issues and their families. Empowerment Squared aims to connect students and families to the information and resources needed to advocate for students’ rights and challenge schools' disciplinary decisions, when necessary.

Justice for Migrant Workers will partner with University of Windsor, Faculty of Law to deliver bi-monthly drop-in summary advice clinics on immigration and employment law for migrant farmworkers in the Winsor/Essex/Leamington area of southwestern Ontario utilizing the services of pro or low-bono legal professionals. It will benefit migrant farmworkers facing multiple barriers to accessing legal services. In addition to linguistic barriers, migrant workers often experience geographic isolation, limited access to transportation, intersecting legal issues, and a lack of knowledge about basic Canadian laws and rights.

The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University 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.

Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County will offer a mobile legal clinic, called Wellington County, Mobile Legal Service (WellCoMS), to enhance the network of rural supports available to low income residents of Wellington County. This project will improve access to justice in the rural portions of the region. It will also foster relationships among health care providers, the local bar association, mental health services, libraries, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and faith organizations.

Migrant Workers Alliance for Change will provide public legal education directly to migrant agricultural workers on employment, immigrant, worker compensation, and human rights in the Niagara and Durham regions. It will also help to consolidate regional services and referral partnerships in these regions to better serve migrant workers. This will strengthen local support services for the workers and give them the tools to self-advocate for their rights and improved access to justice.

Nokiiwin Tribal Council (NTC) includes six Nokiiwin communities in the Robinson Superior Treaty Territory of northwest Ontario: Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek; Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek; Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek; Pic Mobert First Nation; and Fort William First Nation. NTC provides services in the access to justice, health and wellness, community development, and education fields. The agency has hired a full time communications engagement officer to develop a detailed outreach and communication strategy to inform people about NTC's justice-related services. The communications engagement officer will visit the six communities on a regular basis to provide residents with information about the NTC's justice department including the work of the community legal worker, restorative justice coordinator, victim support services coordinator, and the half time lawyer who is available to provide legal advice to people with a low income. It is expected that these outreach activities will improve access to justice for First Nations people in the largely rural region.

The Northern Region Transformation Project, which is comprised of 11 legal clinics in northern Ontario, will undertake research to better meet the clinic law-related needs of Indigenous peoples, both on and off of reserves. The research will build an accurate picture of poverty and poverty/clinic law needs in Indigenous communities, explore the role of Indigenous languages and cultural interpretation in effective service delivery, and gather wise practices and gaps in resources and services. The quantitative and qualitative information collected will enable the clinics to enhance service and explore internal and collective organizational changes.

Ontario Justice Education Network will continue the collaboration of a previous grant, "Aboriginal Youth Designing a Better Justice System", a project undertaken in partnership with the Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution, Justice for Children and Youth and the Ontario Child Advocate. This next phase will focus on working with a group of Indigenous youth to develop one of the three youth-conceived technology prototypes from the August 2017 workshop. The objective of the project is to promote the involvement of Indigenous youth in the justice system and improved relations with law enforcement officers.