Month: October 2016

The CFCJ’s Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada: Overview Report discusses the frequency of seventeen different civil and family justice problems experienced by Canadians, as well as the costs to Canadians and to the State of having an everyday legal problem.

We are thrilled to announce the publication of several Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada fact sheets, aimed at providing further detail on the incidences of the seventeen problem categories discussed in the Overview Report. The data in these fact sheets was gathered from our Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada Survey. The fact sheets offer information on the following problem types: Consumer, Debt, Employment, Neighbour, Discrimination, Family (Relationship Breakdown), Wills and Incapacity, Medical Treatment, Housing, Personal Injury, Treatment by Police (and Criminal Charges), Family (Other), Disability Assistance, Threat of Legal Action, Social Assistance and Immigration.

For information on other outputs from the CFCJ’s Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada study, visit the CFCJ website at: www.cfcj-fcjc.org/cost-of-justice

Our most recent infographic provides an overview of some of the key concepts presented in our “Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada: Overview Report“. Essentially all of us will experience at least one significant everyday legal problem over the course of our lifetime. Experiencing and trying to resolve these problems can be costly. View our Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada infographic here for an outline of why this presents a serious problem for the public, the State and access to justice in Canada. An animated version of this infographic is forthcoming.

How do we define a legal problem? What is meant by justice and access to justice? What ought to be encompassed within the concept of a justice system? In “Nudging the Paradigm Shift, Everyday Legal Problems in Canada”, Dr. Ab Currie, Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, discusses the responses to these questions in the context of legal need and frequently occurring everyday legal problems. He highlights a methodological approach that moves beyond problem resolution solely through the formal justice system and instead invites a more holistic way of viewing and delivering access to justice that considers both social and legal needs. What is needed for this paradigm shift to occur? Read Dr. Currie’s paper in full here.