Ottawa, January 15, 2018 – On the occasion of its three years of existence, the Ontario Legal Information Centre (the Centre) has provided legal information and referral services in both official languages to over 5,400 Ontarians. The Centre welcomes these positive results, as the pilot project under which the Centre was created is just a few months away from expiring. These results also demonstrate that the Centre meets an urgent need in Ontario for these services to be offered permanently. Open to the public since January 15th, 2015, the Centre is the first of its kind in Ontario, and the only one offering legal information services in every area of law and with no admissibility criteria.
The Centre has received an ever-increasing number of service requests since its inception. While the Centre served 1,632 individuals in 2016, it served 51% more individuals in 2017. Factors that have played a vital role in reaching such impressive results include partner referrals to the Centre, communication efforts, word of mouth, the Centre’s newly implemented toll-free telephone line 1‑844‑343‑7462 and the affidavit and notary services. In fact, the Centre is now at full capacity several times per week.
Offering clear and comprehensible legal information in both official languages is an essential component of access to justice, particularly with regards to the most vulnerable members of our society. The Centre’s statistics reveal that in the current fiscal year (from April 1st to date), almost 60% of the individuals served by the Centre had an income of less than $30,000 and 92% were not represented by a lawyer.
The Centre relies on local, provincial and federal resources to serve Ontarians, and extends its warmest gratitude to its governmental, legal and community partners for their referrals and their support of its daily activities.
The Centre offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone facing a legal issue. The lawyer provides legal information and steers Ontarians toward the appropriate local and provincial resources. Information, referral and support services are offered in English and in French, in person or by telephone, on a confidential basis.
The Ottawa Legal Information Centre is an initiative of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO). The AJEFO would like to thank the Department of Justice Canada for its financial support by means of the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund, an initiative of the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013-2018: Education, Immigration, Communities. The AJEFO also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.
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Information:
Ms. Charlotte Calen, AJEFO Communications Manager
Ottawa Legal Information Centre | Centre d’information juridique d’Ottawa
613-842-7462, ext. 229 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
@LegalInfoON |@InfoJuridiqueON
