- by Hub staff
Tomorrow a “pop-up legal clinic” at Owen Sound City Hall will run from noon until 2 pm, as part of a province-wide July 30 day of action to bring attention to cuts to the funding of Legal Aid Ontario.
Premier Doug Ford’s Ontario budget announced a reduction of 30% of their annual budget, retroactive to April 1, 2019, impacting in turn the funding of community legal clinics. Further deep cuts are planned for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
The Grey-Bruce Community Legal Clinic was established in 2002 to provide free legal advice, assistance and representation to low income individuals and families in Grey and Bruce Counties, - direct, local front line service to the most vulnerable in our communities.
Clinics in other communities were hit much harder than Grey-Bruce with the cuts, and many will have to dramatically reduce their services. Specialized clinics that fight for real policy change in the specific areas of housing, income security, and workers’ rights were hit the hardest.
“People living in poverty are finding it harder to get into the systems of support, and at the same time their rights are being eroded. This just deepens the level of poverty in our communities,” said Seana Moorhead, Executive Director of the local clinic in an interview.
Moorhead and three other legal staff offer a one-hour initial consultation on issues including income security programs like Ontario Works and disability pensions, and employment law – wrongful dismissal, EI, occupational health and safety or unpaid wages. Landlord and tenant issues are a common concern for those living on a low income, and the clinic provides tenant duty counsel at all Board hearings.
People often come in for one issue, but the clinic staff help them look at the bigger picture; the life implications. Moorhead says the goal is to give clients knowledge so they can see their options and make informed decisions. That knowledge, along with connections to available community supports, can prevent the spiral into deeper poverty.
“We cannot just be replaced by a 1-800 number,” Moorhead said, “It is important to be in the community and build trust in person.”
Eligibility is determined by family size and income, and because transportation is a serious barrier in Grey-Bruce, the clinic offers satellite clinics in six other communities and on both reserves.
“I've seen how people's lives have been changed by what we do here,” Moorhead said, “That's what keeps me coming in every day.”
The pop up clinic will provide information about clinic services and legal rights, and how you can support the clinic, including contacting your MPP Bill Walker, the Attorney General and Premier.
