We need to fight for Legal Aid

We need to fight for Legal Aid

by | Dec 13, 2019 | Blog

It appears that Ontario’s Attorney General, Doug Downey, is a quick learner. The old saying isn’t true, an old dog can learn new tricks. After a rocky summer where Downey took political heat for slashing legal aid funding and publicly musing about...
Ontario’s courts and jails slammed by Auditor General

Ontario’s courts and jails slammed by Auditor General

by | Dec 10, 2019 | Blog

Last week the Auditor General of Ontario, Bonnie Lysyk, released her report on justice, the courts, and corrections. It was a damning indictment of a government whose only real justice action has been slashing legal aid funding and introducing the Smarter and Stronger...
Crown calls for jail term in woman’s road rage case

Crown calls for jail term in woman’s road rage case

by | Dec 9, 2019 | News

A Crown prosecutor has called for a nine-month jail term in the case of an Ottawa woman who, in a fit of road rage, pushed to the ground a senior citizen with a cane, breaking her hip. […] Defence lawyer Michael Spratt asked the court to impose a suspended...
Legal Aid cuts hit Ottawa

Legal Aid cuts hit Ottawa

by | Dec 7, 2019 | Blog

Last April, the Doug Ford government slashed funding to Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) by $133 million. The 30-per-cent budget cut was immediate – there was no notice – and everyone knew the cruel cuts would send shockwaves through the justice system. And it seems those...
Do Ontario prisoners need more phone access?

Do Ontario prisoners need more phone access?

by | Dec 2, 2019 | News

When Krista tried calling a 24-hour mental-health crisis line from an Ontario jail, she says, she couldn’t connect. “I tried three or four times, and it wouldn’t go through. I was having a mental breakdown … in here, they don’t care,” says Krista (whose name has been...