Archives: Grants (page 7)

Level’s Indigenous Youth Outreach Program engages First Nations, Métis, and Inuit youth throughout Canada in specialized justice education and mentorship activities led by justice sector volunteers. The program encourages youth to increase their critical thinking and leadership skills and their knowledge of the law and careers in justice.

Luke’s Place Support and Resource Centre for Women and Children will continue to provide family law support for women who have experienced intimate partner violence, as well as training, resources, and mentoring to frontline workers and lawyers who assist them in Durham region and provincially.

The Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC) will connect Muslim communities across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to volunteer lawyers who will provide free summary advice and brief services. MLSC will also host public legal education sessions in partnership with community organizations in the GTA. This initiative will enhance Muslim communities’ access to culturally responsive and accessible legal support.

The Ontario Justice Education Network will engage the judiciary, the Bar, the courts, and the education community throughout Ontario by developing innovative educational tools that introduce young people to the justice system. This initiative will provide young people with tools to understand the law and develop the ability to address their own legal issues.

The Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History studies and promotes public interest in the history of the law, the legal profession, and the judiciary in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada. It does so by publishing books on Canadian legal history, creating and preserving an oral history archive, supporting academic research, and hosting a diverse range of topical educational events.

Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) provides legal help without charge to low-income individuals and nonprofit organizations, and experiential learning opportunities to law students. With chapters in 22 of 23 Canadian law schools, PBSC develops legal placements for law students in a range of work settings including legal clinics, nonprofit organizations, courts, and tribunals. Under the supervision of lawyers, student volunteers draft memos, develop and deliver legal education workshops, assist lawyers and duty counsel with client intake, assist clients with document preparation, represent clients before tribunals and courts, and provide legal information to clients.

The Probono Inmate Appeal Program coordinates and supports a roster of experienced criminal appellate counsel to act as duty counsel on the appeals of unrepresented appellants in criminal cases before the Court of Appeal for Ontario. This initiative enhances unrepresented appellants’ access to legal support.

Workers’ Action Centre (WAC) will continue to provide information resources to people in low-wage and precarious employment in Ontario. Through its Developing Critical Post-Pandemic Public Education Strategies to Improve Access to Justice for Workers in Precarious Employment program, WAC will provide responsive public education strategies and resources to reach workers facing emerging barriers, including those who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and are facing increased barriers to access to justice.

Pro Bono Ontario (PBO) bridges the gap between low-income Ontarians who cannot afford a lawyer or qualify for legal aid and lawyers who want to donate their services. Its programs include a legal advice hotline and medical-legal partnerships that operate out of five children’s hospitals. In addition to supporting these activities, the Catalyst grant will enable PBO to enhance its hotline services. The hotline currently provides free summary advice and legal drafting services in the areas of civil litigation, consumer debt and protection, employment law, housing, power of attorney for property and personal care, and corporate law (for nonprofits and small newcomer-run start-ups).

Aftermetoo will further test, expand, and enhance its web platform to better serve people facing workplace sexual harassment with a particular focus on those with specific unmet informational needs such as Indigenous people, gig economy workers, and sex workers. Aftermetoo.com centralizes laws, judicial systems, reporting options, and supports across Canada for those who experience or observe workplace sexual harassment. It uses clear and accessible language to answer common questions and provides step-by-step information to guide people through judicial and administrative forums.