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Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada

The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) is thrilled to annouce the publication of three papers from our SSHRC-funded “Cost of Justice” research project. These papers are based on findings from the CFCJ’s Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada survey, the first national survey in almost ten years to measure the frequency and ways in which members of the Canadian public experience everyday legal problems. It is also the first survey of its kind to explore what these problems cost, not only in dollars, but also to the state and to the physical and mental health of the public who use our justice system.

These papers — Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada: Overview Report by Trevor C.W. Farrow, Ab Currie, Nicole Aylwin, Les Jacobs, David Northrup and Lisa Moore, Design and Conduct of the Cost of Justice Survey and the Everyday Legal Problems and Cost of Justice: Survey (Cost of Justice Survey) are available on the CFCJ website here.

The Resolution of Legal Problems in Ontario

Results from the CFCJ’s 2014 study on the civil legal needs of Canadians indicate that most Ontarians do not obtain formal legal advice when faced with a legal problem. One might conclude that this is because the cost of obtaining lawyers has become too expensive, yet the research findings suggest otherwise. In “The Resolution of Legal Problems in Ontario”, Mathew Dylag indicates that perception and an understanding of what is at stake may be more likely indicators of whether individuals will seek out formal legal advice. To learn more about the legal consumer habits of Ontarians, read Matthew’s paper here.

The Data Deficit: The Case for Improving Court Records for Future Access to Justice Research Fact Sheet

In 2015, as part of the SSHRC-funded “Cost of Justice” project, the CFCJ conducted a study of 495 civil, non-family cases filed in the BC Supreme Court that appeared to lack resolution through court processes. The resulting “Civil Non-Family Cases Filed in the Supreme Court of BC, Research Results and Lessons Learned” report highlights several challenges related to this type of access to justice research including, the inability to contact claimants, limitations related to the currency and completeness of court records and difficulties extracting an appropriate sample of cases. As a follow-up to the findings in this report, the CFCJ has produced a fact sheet that provides an overview of some of these challenges and recommendations for  improvements. “The Data Deficit: The Case for Improving Court Records for Future Access to Justice Research” fact sheet is posted on the CFCJ website here.

Rural and Remote Access to Justice Infographic

The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, in consultation with the Rural and Remote Access to Justice Boldness Project, has created an infographic based on some of the key findings from the Rural and Remote Access to Justice Literature Review. This infographic provides an overview of the unique access to justice challenges experienced by Canadians in rural and remote settings and presents several recommendations for improving access to legal services and information in rural and remote areas. The Rural and Remote Access to Justice infographic is published here.