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Works in partnership with First Nation communities to assist youth in conflict with the law and their families

• Involves youth in appropriate community activities and encourages more traditional healthy lifestyle choices
• Refers youth to appropriate agencies, community supports and/or treatment
• Provides clinical counselling
• Educates youth about the criminal justice system
• Coordinates appropriate workshops

Workshops address various topics such as:

• Addictions and substance abuse
• Anger Management
• Bullying
• Creative Life Skills
• Family Violence
• Life skills
• Self-esteem

Provides the following services:

• Assistance in accessing employment and education
• Crisis intervention and referral services
• Individual counselling
• Support and advocacy for medical, legal and court appointments
• Support groups

Provides the following support services to women 55 and older:

• Advocacy
• Assistance with housing applications
• Individual and group counselling
• Legal aid and court appointments
• Safety planning

• Gives immediate legal assistance on family law issues to individuals who appear in court without a lawyer
• Provides information about legal rights, obligations and basic court procedure
• Helps negotiate or settle issues
• Reviews or prepares court documents to be filed
• Helps determines if further duty counsel services are required or if the matter requires Legal Aid Ontario's assistance in retaining a lawyer

Provides assistance in:

• the courtroom for child protection hearings
• garnishment and support hearings
• requesting adjournments
• arguing motions
• hearings for issues such as custody, access, or support where the issues are not complicated

• Gives immediate legal assistance to individuals who appear in court for criminal matters without a lawyer
• Provides information about legal rights, obligation and the court process
• Provides assistance in the courtroom for bail hearings and sentencing
• Assists with diversions, guilty pleas and sentencing
• Helps determine if further duty counsel services are required or if the matter requires Legal Aid Ontario's assistance in retaining a lawyer

Provides assistance in specialized courts such as:

• Mental health
• Drug treatment
• Domestic violence
• Aboriginal persons (Gladue) court

Note: Criminal duty counsel cannot assist with trials

Enhances access to justice for community members through offering:

• legal advice
• education
• court support
• restorative justice circles
• victim support

Human Trafficking Initiative

• Provides confidential, culturally safe, emotional and practical supports for victims of human trafficking
• Offers education for awareness and learning to recognize the possible signs of exploitation and trafficking for community and professionals/industry members in order to reduce and prevent exploitation

• ​Assists Indigenous women and their families who have experienced family violence
• Promotes a healthy lifestyle, health awareness, and mental health wellness

Services offered include:

• Cultural supports and ceremonies
• Emergency support
• Land-based activities
• Prevention of family violence
• Referrals to other services
• Safety planning
• Traditional healing

• Provides services and support for Indigenous women who have experienced violence and for the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW)

Services offered include:

• Assistance with understanding the criminal justice process
• Court support
• Crisis and emergency response due to violence/death
• Healing services including talking circles, cultural healing, Elder's guidance and referrals to other services
• Support at meetings with the police, the courts, and other service providers

Provides legal advice and assistance to individuals who do not have the means to assert or defend their legal rights through the following services:

• Client representation in clinic areas of practice
• Free summary legal advice
• Information and referral
• Law reform advocacy
• Public education
• Specialized legal services

Services are offered in the following areas:

• Birth certificates
• Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability or Pension benefits
• Canada Child Benefits (CCB)
• Consumer and Credit/Debt issues
• Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB)
• Disability Tax benefits
• Employment Insurance (EI)
• Employment Standards (ESA)
• Human Rights
• Native Status applications
• Old Age Security (OAS)
• Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
• Ontario Works
• Residential Tenancies (tenants only)

Legal Aid Ontario

• see Client Services during COVID-19
• Legal Aid Ontario has suspended all in-person services at all office and court locations
• during closure call Client Service Centre at 1-800-668-8258 (Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm) to apply for legal aid, inquire about application status, and summary legal advice for criminal or family law matters

Advice Lawyer for Family Law and Family Law Information Centres

• Legal Aid Ontario has suspended all in-person advice at Family Law Information Centres (FLIC)
• Clients can access family advice counsel services in the Central East District by calling new toll free line 1-888-616-0119 ext 18 and in the alternative will also be directed to contact the Client Service Centre at 1-800-668-8258
• Ontario Superior Court of Justice will only be hearing matters that are deemed urgent in nature
• Protocols will be established to have matters filed electronically at the courthouse and hearings to take place by either video or teleconference depending on local availability

Employment and Housing Help

• Call Community Legal Clinic Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm at 705-326-6444 or Toll Free 1-800-461-8953
• Consult Steps to Justice Housing Law for answers to questions you might have

Courthouses

• visit COVID-19 Tribunals and Courts
• visit Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice for detailed information

Emergency Court Services

• Criminal and family courts are still open but emergency family matters and criminal matters for clients who are in custody will come first
• To find out if your matter is urgent, visit the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice websites or contact your lawyer or legal representative
• if you don't have a lawyer or legal representative, you can now get summary legal advice for your criminal and family matter over the phone without having to qualify, see Summary Legal Advice Services during COVID-19 pandemic

Refugee and Immigration Offices

• Refugee and immigration offices are operating by phone only from Mon-Fri 8:30 am-4:30 pm
• Toronto Refugee Law Office (GTA, all areas except Hamilton and Ottawa)
• Toronto: 416-977-8111
• Toll-free: 1-855-854-8111
• visit COVID-19 Immigration and Refugee Law

Ontario Review Board

• visit the Ontario Review Board website for updates and information

Consent and Capacity Board

• hearings are being held by teleconference but some limited matters will be held by video, further details will be included with your notice of hearing
• visit the Consent and Capacity Board website for information

Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)

• funded by Legal Aid Ontario, the Law Foundation of Ontario and Department of Justice Canada
• provides reliable legal information on income assistance, landlord and tenant law, refugee and immigration law, employment law, family law, domestic and elder abuse, education, debt and consumer rights and collection agencies, health and disability, some criminal issues
• visit Steps for Justice for online legal information and critical changes or updates to government or court services, supports, laws, and regulations as they relate to COVID-19
• visit COVID-19 News Updates from CLEO for up-to-date information on changes in government programs and court services.
• live chat available English: Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri 11 am-1 pm, 2 pm-4 pm * Thu 11 am-1 pm, 7 pm-9 pm
  French: Mon-Fri 11 am-12 noon

Additional Information:

• Better Business Bureau Ontario COVID-19
• Price Gouging during COVID-19, Consumers can report an individual who is price gouging by filing a complaint at 1-800-889-9768 Mon-Fri from 8:30 am-5:00 pm or by filing a report online

COVID19 -- No in person meetings, providing services including intake by phone, emergencies assessed on case by case basis

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Advice and representation in areas of social assistance, Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), sponsorships, immigration law

• legal information and education
• referral of legal cases
• advocacy
• seminars, workshops
• funded by Legal Aid Ontario

Forced Marriage -- website with information and resources on forced marriages * information for individuals and service providers

Assists with applications for Canadian and other countries' pensions and benefits

• information on passports, permanent resident cards, income taxes, legal issues, Italian properties, power of attorney and succession

Free legal answers covering 2,100 topics on provincial and federal laws, available by website

• referrals
• publishes legal guides and Your Guide to Canadian Law

Assists with applications for Canadian and other pensions and benefits

• information on passports, permanent resident cards, income taxes, legal issues, Italian properties, power of attorney and succession

Legal information website

• promotes an understanding of the law with respect to violence against women
• provides legal information to women and their supporters that reflects the experiences and realities of women
• We do not give legal advice

Coordinates programs and projects for community safety, legal information, outreach, education and support

Safety -- safety audits and safety promotion for individuals, communities, workplaces, service environments and institutions

Justice -- legal information, workshops and resources

• administers Ontario Women's Justice Network website www.owjn.org

Outreach and Education -- peer youth leadership and skills building program to prevent violence

• workshops, training and presentations
• multilingual, easy-to-read publications on safety, violence issues, legal information and equity and inclusion for women and youth, service providers, educators and community members
• free online educational games, apps, zines and webinars

Hotline for workers to ask questions about their rights and workplace issues, get support and strategize solutions

COVID19 -- telephone inquiries only, online information about housing security during the COVID19 emergency
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Legal clinic focusing on individual and systemic anti-Black racism

• legal representation
• test case litigation
• law reform and community development
• summary legal advice, brief services and public legal education
• funded by Legal Aid Ontario

Covid-19 -- support with problems at work through Workers' Rights Information Phoneline

• all in-person meetings and workshops cancelled until further notice

Workers' rights education

• information and referral on work-related issues such as employment law, human rights, harassment, Employment Insurance (EI), workers' compensation, health and safety legislation
• information and drop-in sessions for workers wanting in-depth information on asserting their rights and protecting themselves at work
• strategies and support regarding unpaid wages, vacation pay and holiday pay
• referrals

Arm's length agency of the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development. Works to educate, advices, and represent non-union workers who have been injured at work or who have been threatened or punished for following health and safety laws.
Services include:

• summary advice and representation through all stages of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) claims process or the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT)
• information on the polices and procedures of the WSIB and WSIAT
• advice and representation through the stages of an application and hearing of an application and hearing before the Ontario Labour Relations Board
• self-help information for workers to handle their own claims or applications where appropriate
• referrals to other organizations

COVID19 -- physical office closed but staff working remotely

Community legal clinic

• representation in cases involving issues of particular importance to seniors, such as long term care, hospital discharge issues, elder abuse, government pensions, income maintenance, retirement home tenancies, mental health and mental capacity issues
• assistance in dealing with government bureaucracies
• visits to home or care facility if necessary
• advocacy
• community legal education
• speakers
• law reform
• confidential
• funded by Legal Aid Ontario