LCO Releases Final Report on AI in the Criminal Justice System

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The Law Commission of Ontario has released its report, AI in Criminal Justice: Final Report and Recommendations, a first-of-its-kind Canadian analysis of the uses, potential benefits and risks of artificial intelligence across the criminal justice system.

The project is the first in Canada to analyze AI systems and issues across the full lifecycle of criminal justice. Grounded in extensive research and consultation, including input from more than 1,400 people, the report puts forward 29 recommendations for law, regulatory and policy reform.

The recommendations call for a comprehensive provincial framework for responsible criminal AI, including legislation, mandatory public reporting, risk and impact assessments, a public AI registry, independent oversight, rules governing AI evidence, and measures to strengthen access to justice and institutional capacity. Almost all of the recommendations draw on practices, precedents or strategies already in place or under development in Canada and other jurisdictions.

Together, the recommendations offer a practical framework intended to support responsible innovation while protecting fundamental rights, strengthening accountability and maintaining public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Manitoba Access to Justice Week 2026: “What Works, What’s Next”

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Manitoba’s Access to Justice Week 2026 will take place from October 26 to 30. This year’s programming shares the national theme, “What Works, What’s Next.”

Hosted by the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, the Law Society of Manitoba, and the Manitoba Bar Association, the week brings together legal professionals, advocates, service providers, and community members to explore current access-to-justice issues. All events are free and open to the public.

The program includes a virtual panel on the legal issues facing trans people in Canada, with particular attention to Manitoba; a bilingual discussion of ongoing efforts to improve access to justice in French; and an in-person Sweat Lodge Ceremony in Sagkeeng First Nation, accompanied by an optional pre-learning session.

Together, the events offer opportunities to learn about current legal and community initiatives, consider barriers to justice, and explore what meaningful and inclusive access to justice can look like in practice.

For more information and to register, visit the Manitoba Access to Justice Hub’s Access to Justice Week 2026 webpage.

Towards Justice as a Common Good

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The Action Committee on Access to Justice has released a new national report, A Vision for Access to Justice: Towards Justice as a Common Good (également disponible en français).

The report proposes that justice be understood as essential public infrastructure grounded in dignity, substantive equality, fairness, and collective responsibility. Building on the movement toward people-centred justice, it identifies five principles for action: legal empowerment and prevention; connected pathways to legal help and resolution; services designed around people’s needs and lived experiences; an evidence-based culture; and sustainable resourcing.

The report invites justice-sector organizations and members of the public to consider their roles in making justice more accessible, responsive, and effective.

The Law Society of Ontario’s Access to Justice Week 2026

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From October 26th to 30th, the Law Society of Ontario will host its annual Access to Justice Week. This year’s virtual programming is organized around the theme “What Works, What’s Next.”

Throughout the week, legal professionals, researchers, community organizations, advocates, and members of the public will come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping access to justice in Canada. The program includes sessions on access to legal information and services; family and community justice; equity, human rights, and inclusion; Indigenous justice; technology and artificial intelligence; and collaborative approaches to systemic change.

Access to Justice Week provides an opportunity to learn about work taking place across the justice sector, consider emerging access-to-justice issues, and share ideas about what should come next.

For a look back at the 2025 program, read the Access to Justice Week 2025 Wrap-Up Report.

For more information and to explore and register for this year’s events and sessions, visit the LSO’s Access to Justice Week website.

Supporting Lasting Justice Reform

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How can law reform, professional regulation, and funding support a justice system that responds more effectively to people’s needs?

The final sessions of the Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference examined the institutions, professional roles, regulatory approaches, and investments needed to support lasting change.

The following resources highlight approaches to law reform across Canada and recent efforts to expand access to legal services while protecting the public.

Collaborating on Law Reform

Federation of Law Reform Agencies of Canada

The Federation of Law Reform Agencies of Canada connects law reform organizations from across the country. It provides opportunities for agencies to exchange information about their work, share experiences, and strengthen collaboration across jurisdictions.

Law Commission of Canada (également disponible en français)

The Law Commission of Canada conducts research and public engagement on the continuing development of Canadian law and legal systems. Re-established in 2023 after a 17-year hiatus, the independent and non-partisan Commission considers the changing needs of Canadian society and provides advice on legal reform.

Alberta Law Reform Institute

For more than 50 years, the Alberta Law Reform Institute has conducted research, analysis, and consultation to develop recommendations for improving Alberta’s laws and the administration of justice. Its work involves collaboration with the public, the legal profession, government, and other organizations.

Institut québécois de réforme du droit et de la justice

The Institut québécois de réforme du droit et de la justice is an independent, non-profit organization that conducts applied and interdisciplinary research and public consultation. Its work considers how Quebec’s laws and justice system can adapt to contemporary needs and remain accessible to the public.

Rethinking Professional Roles and Regulation

Future of Legal Services Initiative Final Report

This 2026 report from the Law Society of Saskatchewan describes the implementation of reforms intended to expand access to legal services while maintaining public protection. It includes findings from Saskatchewan’s limited licensing pilot, which authorized qualified individuals who were not lawyers to provide defined legal services within approved areas of practice.

The report discusses lessons from the pilot, public and stakeholder consultations, consumer protection, professional responsibility, insurance, education, and the regulatory framework introduced for limited licensees in Saskatchewan.

Supporting Access-to-Justice Work

The Law Foundation of Ontario (également disponible en français)

The Law Foundation of Ontario funds legal education, legal aid, legal research, and law libraries, principally through grants to non-profit organizations working to advance access to justice. Its funding supports community-driven services, research, public legal education, collaboration, and other initiatives across Ontario and, through its Access to Justice Fund, elsewhere in Canada.

Law Foundation of British Columbia

The Law Foundation of British Columbia funds work in legal aid, legal education, law reform, legal research, and law libraries. Its grants support organizations and initiatives working to overcome barriers to legal help and advance justice in communities across the province.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (également disponible en français)

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) supports research, training, partnerships, and collaboration in the social sciences and humanities. Its funding helps researchers and partner organizations build evidence, share knowledge, and study complex social and policy questions, including those related to law and access to justice.

Strengthening Collaboration Across Canada

Recent Action Committee on Access to Justice Report (également disponible en français)

Published by the Action Committee on Access to Justice, this report summarizes discussions from a national meeting of provincial and territorial access-to-justice collaboratives held in January 2026. It highlights ongoing efforts to strengthen coordination, share knowledge, and support access-to-justice work across Canada. Comments on the report can be sent to info@actioncommitteea2j.ca.

Watch the Conference Sessions

The related conference sessions are also available online:

This is the final post in AJRN’s September series sharing resources connected to the 2026 Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference.

We hope this collection helps people across the access-to-justice community find, use, and build on the work shared in Ottawa. Thank you to the Action Committee on Access to Justice, the conference speakers, and everyone whose work is included in the series.

Rural, Remote, and Community-Based Justice

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What does access to justice look like when legal help is distant, difficult to navigate, or disconnected from the communities it is meant to serve?

Many of the sessions at the Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference explored approaches that bring legal information, services, and support directly to people. The following resources highlight mobile legal services, community-based navigation, medical-legal partnerships, and responses to the connections between housing, safety, and justice.

Bringing Legal Help to Rural Communities

You Have to Find Them First and That’s a People-Centered Process: Learning about People-Centered Justice through the Rural Mobile Law Van

In this 2023 CFCJ paper, Ab Currie reflects on lessons from the Rural Mobile Law Van project at the midpoint of its three-year pilot. The paper considers how proactive outreach can help identify unmet legal needs and connect people in rural communities with support, while noting that its observations are lessons from the project rather than findings from a structured evaluation of people-centred justice.

Juristes mobiles

Juristes mobiles is a three-year Quebec research-action project testing ways to provide free, first-line legal services directly within communities that face barriers to traditional legal services. The project works with local organizations to identify community needs, test mobile and community-based approaches, and adjust services based on what is learned in the field.

Vers une justice de proximité au Québec : Projet Juristes mobiles

This first research report from the Juristes mobiles project examines barriers to law and justice experienced by underserved communities in Quebec. It describes the project’s approach to designing, testing, and evaluating community-based legal services in partnership with Info Justice and the Institut québécois de réforme du droit et de la justice.

Connecting Housing, Safety, and Justice

The Journey to Housing Stability for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

This multi-year report from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario examines the experiences of survivors of gender-based violence navigating Ontario’s housing and legal systems. It identifies barriers to safe and stable housing and calls for specialized legal services and policy responses informed by survivors’ experiences.

Community-Based Navigation and Support

Ottawa Black Justice Navigators Program

Jaku Konbit’s program provides culturally responsive information, navigation, advocacy, and referrals for Black individuals and families interacting with the justice system. Justice navigators help people understand court and correctional processes, their rights and options, and available legal and community supports.

Justice Pro Bono (également disponible en français)

Justice Pro Bono connects people and community organizations in Quebec with volunteer legal services. Its community-based programs include medical-legal partnerships, legal clinics in Nunavik, psychosocial legal clinics, support for migrants with precarious status, and referrals to free or low-cost legal resources.

Watch the Conference Sessions

The related conference sessions are also available online:

This is the fourth in AJRN’s September series sharing resources connected to the 2026 Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference.

See you later this week for the final post in the series!

Legal Design, Technology, and AI

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How can legal services and justice systems be designed around the people who use them?

Several sessions at the Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference examined how legal design, digital tools, and artificial intelligence can improve access to justice. They also considered the importance of ensuring that innovation is guided by people’s needs, experiences, and rights.

The following resources offer practical examples and approaches to designing legal information, services, and systems that are more accessible and responsive.

Designing Accessible Legal Tools

CLEO’s Guided Pathways

Community Legal Education Ontario’s free Guided Pathways provide step-by-step support to help people complete legal forms and navigate processes involving family law, housing, human rights, immigration, income assistance, small claims, and other areas. The tools ask users questions and use their responses to generate tailored legal information and documents.

Building Systems That Learn and Adapt

CREATE Justice

The University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for Research, Evaluation, and Action Towards Equal Justice brings together research, evaluation, and action aimed at making justice more accessible. Its work includes testing design methods, developing collaborative and community-engaged approaches, and advancing justice data, measurement, and program evaluation.

Artificial Intelligence and Administrative Justice

Artificial Intelligence Monitor for Immigration in Canada and Internationally

The Artificial Intelligence Monitor for Immigration in Canada and Internationally researches and monitors governments’ use of artificial intelligence in immigration and administrative decision-making. Its work focuses on transparency, accountability, human rights, and the effects of automated systems on migrant communities.

Keeping Innovation People-Centred

What Is People-Centered Justice?

This World Justice Project resource explains how people-centred justice begins with understanding people’s legal needs, the ways they try to resolve their problems, and the obstacles they encounter. It considers how data, prevention, legal information, accessible services, and collaboration across sectors can help justice systems respond more effectively.

Watch the Conference Sessions

The related conference sessions are also available online:

This is the third in AJRN’s September series sharing resources connected to the 2026 Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference.

See you next week for the final two!

Justice Data, Evidence, and Evaluation

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How do we know whether access-to-justice initiatives are working?

Several sessions at the Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference examined how better data, shared measurement approaches, and careful evaluation can help justice systems understand people’s needs and improve their services.

The following resources offer data, research, and practical frameworks for measuring access to justice and learning from the results.

Understanding Legal Problems and Needs

Experiences of Serious Problems or Disputes in the Canadian Provinces, 2021 (également disponible en français)

Drawing on the 2021 Canadian Legal Problems Survey, this Statistics Canada report examines the serious problems experienced by people across Canada’s provinces, the steps they took to address them, and the financial, social, and health consequences that followed. It also considers barriers to accessing justice and differences in the experiences of particular populations.

Everyday Legal Problems and the Cost of Justice in Canada: Overview Report

This CFCJ report presents findings from a national survey of more than 3,000 adults about the everyday legal problems they experienced and the steps they took to resolve them. The study considers the costs of legal problems in financial terms and through their effects on people’s time, health, employment, housing, and overall well-being.

A Legal Needs Survey in the Province of Saskatchewan: Perspectives of Lawyers and Legal and Non-Legal Service Providers

This 2023 report examines legal needs, service gaps, and barriers to justice in Saskatchewan from the perspectives of lawyers and community-based service providers. It also considers the legal and non-legal supports people need, the experiences of underserved groups, and differences between communities across the province.

Measuring Access to Justice

The A2J Triple Aim

Developed by Access to Justice BC, the A2J Triple Aim brings together three related objectives: improving population access to justice, improving people’s experience of access to justice, and improving costs. The accompanying measurement framework provides justice-sector organizations with a shared approach to assessing and learning from their work.

Social Security Tribunal Access to Justice Framework (également disponible en français)

The Social Security Tribunal of Canada’s framework combines the Department of Justice Access to Justice Index with the A2J Triple Aim Measurement Framework. It shows how a tribunal can use diagnostic and measurement tools as part of a continuing cycle of policy development, evaluation, and improvement.

Learning from Other Fields

Cochrane Methodology Reviews

Cochrane Methodology Reviews examine evidence about the methods used to conduct systematic reviews, randomized trials, and other evaluations in health and social care. At the conference, the Cochrane approach was discussed as one possible model for building a stronger and more systematic evidence base in access-to-justice research.

Watch the Conference Sessions

The related conference sessions are also available online:

This is the second in AJRN’s September series sharing resources connected to the 2026 Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference.

See you in a couple of days for the next one!

People-Centred Justice, Participation, and Lived Experience

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What does it mean to put people at the centre of justice?

At the Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference, several sessions explored the importance of listening to people who navigate justice systems and creating meaningful opportunities for them to participate in justice reform.

The following resources examine lived experience, participation, power, and the barriers that can prevent people from being heard.

Experience as Knowledge

Having a Say: Democracy, Access to Justice and Self-Represented Litigants

Jennifer Leitch’s 2016 doctoral dissertation draws on the experiences of self-represented litigants to examine access to justice as a question of meaningful participation. It considers how people can have a greater voice in the legal processes and institutions that affect their lives.

Participation and Power

HELP-M Toolkit (également disponible en français)

The HELP-M Toolkit helps family mediators identify and respond to family violence, coercive control, power imbalances, and safety concerns. It offers guidance for conducting safer and more appropriate family mediation.

How to Make Legal Proceedings in Canada More Child Friendly?

In this 2025 Canadian Bar Review article, Anne Levesque, Daniella Bendo, Jean-Frédéric Hübsch, and Mona Paré examine barriers children and youth face when defending their rights in Canada. Drawing on research into human rights commissions and tribunals, child and youth advocates, ombudsman offices, and international human rights mechanisms, the authors identify practices that could make legal proceedings more accessible, participatory, and responsive to children.

Access to Justice for Trans People (également disponible en français)

Published by the Canadian Bar Association, the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario, and the TRANSforming JUSTICE Research Team, this report draws on the experiences of trans people to identify legal problems, systemic barriers, and opportunities for reform. It emphasizes trans leadership, intersectional analysis, preventative approaches, and changes extending beyond courts and tribunals.

A Public-Centred Understanding of Access to Justice

“What is Access to Justice?”

Trevor Farrow’s article develops a public-centred understanding of access to justice, informed in part by research into how members of the public understand justice. It argues for placing the people who use justice systems at the centre of access-to-justice research and reform.

Watch the Conference Sessions

The related conference sessions are also available online:

This is the first in AJRN’s September series sharing resources connected to the 2026 Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada conference.

See you next week for more!

Advancing People-Centred Justice: A Conference Resource Collection

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Happy September, and welcome back to the AJRN!

In May, the Action Committee on Access to Justice held its inaugural national conference, Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada: Data Sharing and Knowledge Building, in Ottawa.

The conference brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, community organizations, and justice-sector leaders to share research, practical tools, emerging initiatives, and ideas for improving access to justice across Canada.

Throughout the conference, we heard calls from attendees for a central place to find the many reports, articles, toolkits, projects, and other resources being discussed.

In response, the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice has assembled a collection of conference-related resources for the AJRN. The collection includes materials shared at the conference, along with related work by conference speakers and participating organizations.

Throughout September, we will publish the collection in a series of short, themed posts covering:

  • lived experience, participation, and people-centred justice;
  • justice data, evidence, and evaluation;
  • legal design, technology, and artificial intelligence;
  • rural, remote, and community-based access to justice;
  • law reform, professional roles, regulation, and funding;
  • and recordings from the conference sessions.

This is a curated collection rather than an exhaustive or official conference archive. We hope it helps extend the knowledge-sharing that began in Ottawa and makes this work easier to find, use, and build upon.

Watch this space for the first resource post later this week.