Blog
Featured Post
People-Centered Justice and the Civil-Criminal Divide
A considerable amount of Canadian legal scholarship exists within the boundaries of either civil or criminal law. Each camp generally invites separate consideration of gaps, standards, trends, shifts, and other issues. Rarely do these two domains of scholarship meet. A similar divide is apparent in legal practice, with the civil and criminal legal systems commonly
Read NowFifty Percent of Canadians with Civil and Administrative Legal Problems are in the Justice Gap
According to the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Justice Data Graphical Report I (2023), among the more than 40% of adult Canadians experiencing at least one non-trivial civil or administrative legal problem, 50% are in the justice gap. This means that 50% of the people experiencing legal problems also experienced one or more dimensions of the
read nowAccess to Civil Justice for the Victims of Family Violence
Family violence, formerly known as “domestic violence”, is an all-too-common problem for all too many Canadians. In 2021, over 127,000 people reported being the victims of family violence, receiving physical or mental abuse from their spouse, parents, children, siblings, or extended family members. And these numbers only reflect the instances of police-reported violence. Fearing retaliation,
read nowThe Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Access to Justice
It has been nearly two decades since the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was passed. The Act mandates that organizations across all levels of government, private sectors, and non-profits become accessible to people with disabilities. The end goal is to create a fully accessible Ontario by 2025. With the deadline just three years
read nowCanada is Falling Farther Behind Other Countries on Access to Civil Justice
The World Justice Project (WJP) will soon release the 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index. This article discusses the 2021 WJP Rule of Law Index and what it reveals about the state of civil justice in Canada. The Rule of Law Index is an overall score made up of eight components: (i) Constraints on Government
read nowThe 2021 International Legal Aid Group (ILAG) Conference and the Challenge of COVID-19
Last year, the biennial ILAG conference, Access to Justice and the Challenge of COVID-19 was held from June 22 to 24. The ILAG conferences have become the premier legal aid conference series in the world, held every two years in a different international location since its beginnings in 1994 as a meeting in which a
read nowUsing Interactive PLE Programming to Create Paths to Justice for Newcomers
The idea of paths to justice is a foundational metaphor for access to justice in the contemporary discourse on legal problems. In her seminal research, Professor Genn focused on the legal needs of the public rather than issues related to the courts. Her approach was to focus on the behaviour of members of the public
read now