Alberta Legal Services Mapping Project

To achieve access to justice for all Canadians, legal services must be delivered as part of a coordinated and holistic response to local social conditions and needs.

The Alberta Legal Services Mapping Project (ALSMP) was designed to gain a better understanding of what legal needs Albertans have, the extent to which these needs are currently being met and how access to legal services can be improved. The ALSMP created a province-wide “map” of legal services including information, education, legal advice, legal representation and/or other supports or assistance related to legal problems. Unmet service needs were engaged on two levels:

1) what can be done to enhance delivery of currently available services; and
2) what service gaps need to be filled and how this might be achieved.

Special attention is paid to the role a self-help centre or kiosk could play in achieving improved self-represented litigant services.

The research team for this project was made up of 20 senior representatives from governmental, non-profit and legal professional organizations. Funding was provided by the Alberta Law Foundation and Alberta Justice.