Category Alberta

Alberta Accepting Applications for Restorative Justice Grant

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Alberta’s government is now accepting applications from Indigenous communities, non-profit organizations, charities, community-based groups and others based in Alberta to support the delivery of restorative justice services in the province. Grants are for up to $50,000 per program for one year and can be put towards financing the direct operations of a restorative justice program.

Grants are limited to:

  • Established or ongoing programs
  • New programs in communities where there have been restorative justice programs or there is a history of restorative practice in the justice system

The deadline to apply is August 25, 2025.

For more information on eligibility requirements or to apply to, please visit: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-restorative-justice-grant.

Alberta Law Foundation Publishes Report on Newcomers’ Legal Needs

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A recently published report from the Alberta Law Foundation examines gaps in access to justice for newcomers and immigrants in Alberta. The report explores the practicability of a newcomer legal services fund aimed at supporting the legal needs of newcomers in the province.

The report highlights several important findings:

  • Newcomers and immigrants in Alberta face various access to justice barriers related to language and cultural misunderstandings, inconsistent service provision, complex legal systems and limited multilingual services.
  • Newcomers and immigrants in Alberta face various legal challenges, most commonly in the areas of immigration, family, housing, and employment law. Many people face additional challenges rooted in discrimination, human rights issues, and a lack of understanding of their legal rights and obligations.
  • Service providers face several obstacles to meeting the legal needs of newcomers and immigrants, including limited funding, overworked staff, and insufficient training in trauma-informed care and cultural competency.

The Legal Needs of Newcomers in Alberta: Final Report is written by Kristen Seipp. The report is available in English here: https://albertalawfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Legal-Needs-of-Newcomers-_Final-Report_Alberta-Law-Foundation.pdf.

Action Committee Releases 2024 Justice Development Goals Report

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The national Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters’ (Action Committee) 2024 Justice Development Goals report is now available. The report highlights the evolution of the Action Committee and a decade of progress on access to justice across Canada.

For the 2024 Justice Development Goals report, 86 organizations reported on 227 projects advancing access to justice. The report provides details on work carried out in 2024 under each of the 9 justice development goals. Additional information is provided on actions taken on Reconciliation in 2024. The 9 justice development goals are:

  • JDG 1: Address everyday legal problems
  • JDG 2: Meet legal needs
  • JDG 3: Make courts work better
  • JDG 4: Improve family justice
  • JDG 5: Work together
  • JDG 6: Build capability
  • JDG 7: Innovate
  • JDG 8: Analyse and learn
  • JDG 9: Improve funding strategies

Justice Development Goals – A Decade of Progress: Trends Report 2024 is available in English here: https://ajrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/928d9-jdgreport2024.pdf. The report is available in French here: https://ajrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/b9eba-odjreport2024.pdf.

Canadian Journal of Law and Society Publishes Special Issue on People-Centred Justice

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A new open access special issue on people-centred justice has been published by the Canadian Journal of Law and Society. The issue covers almost a dozen topics including:

  • People-Centred Justice: Reimagining Law, Institutions and Process by Andrew Pilliar and Michelle Lawrence
  • People-Centered Justice in International Assistance: Rule-of-Law Path Dependencies or New Paths to Justice for All? by Adrian Di Giovanni and Maaike De Langen
  • Person-Centred Justice and Dispute Resolution: The Potential of Lay Courts by Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly
  • Towards People-Centered Justice: The Conflict Resolution Routes of People Facing Legal Problems by Megan Capp and Yvon Dandurand
  • Using Social Media as a Tool to Inform Person-Centred Justice by Matthew Dylag
  • Court Form Accessibility: Adopting, Designing and Evaluating Online Guided Pathways by Amy Salyzyn, Jacquelyn Burkell, Esti Azizi and David Westcott
  • Welfarism and People-Centred Justice by Noel Semple

The special issue is available online here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-of-law-and-society-la-revue-canadienne-droit-et-societe/issue/1A0FBAF126BB8296AC0466ACA65CB67C.

Alberta Seeking Feedback to Improve Access to Family Justice Services

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The Government of Alberta has launched a survey aimed at gathering feedback from Albertans on how the province’s family justice services can better support their needs. According to a Government of Alberta new release about the public survey, Alberta’s government is “committed to supporting Alberta families, improving access to justice and investing in the family justice system…[including] expanding services that help Albertans resolve their family law issues in a manner that promotes family well-being while reducing pressure on the courts.” The survey, which launched on November 22nd,is open to Albertans until December 20th, 2024.

As recently as 2023, there have been several major investments in family justice in the province, include $5 million to expand pre-court services in Edmonton and Calgary. In 2025, $3 million will be allocated to the expansion of the province’s Family Justice Strategy to Red Deer. The province continues to see an increase in the number of Albertans accessing pre-court services. As of October 2024, almost 50,000 Albertans accessed pre-court services through the Family Justice Strategy, and almost 27,000 Albertans used the Alberta Family Resolution Hub for the first time. In addition, there has been an almost 13 per cent increase in the use of dispute resolution programs such as mediation.

To learn more about Alberta’s Family Justice Strategy or to access the survey, visit: https://your.alberta.ca/fjs-public/surveys/survey1.

Information for this post was gleaned for the “Expanding access to family justice” news release published by the Government of Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=914054E15BAF9-9F5C-DA0E-E71FF8EB0D5BEC66.

Call for Proposals Launched for 2025 People-Centred Justice Workshop

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The 3rd annual People-Centred Justice Workshop will take place from May 30-31, 2025 in Vancouver, BC, on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Organized by the BC Access to Justice Centre for Excellence at the University of Victoria, in collaboration with University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law and Thompson Rivers University’s Faculty of Law, and building on the success of the 2023 and 2024 PCJ workshops, this event aims to provide a venue to discuss Canadian A2J initiatives. The theme for the 2025 Workshop is “Innovation in People-Centred Justice.” The workshop will be conducted in a hybrid format, with AI-assisted translation services available for participants joining remotely or in person.

The organizing committee welcomes proposals on research, projects, or papers addressing any form of innovation in this field, whether through technology, procedural reform, or alternative approaches to people-centred justice. If you would like to participate, please submit your information and a brief proposal outline in this form by October 7, 2024. No abstract or complete work is required now, and subsequent deadlines will be communicated with participants. Participants will not be strictly held to the outline they provide. The October 7 deadline will allow organizers to better plan the workshop program and apply for funding to support the event.

The 2025 People-Centred Justice Workshop will immediately follow the 2025 Conference of the Federation of Law Reform Agencies of Canada (FOLRAC), which will also be held in Vancouver. Some participants may wish to attend both events.

Access to Justice Week BC Offers Opportunity to Engage with A2J Movement in BC and Beyond

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Access to Justice Week BC will take place from February 5 to 9, 2024. The week’s event lineup includes panels centered on advancing the justice system through people-centered perspectives.

Events planned under this year’s theme, “What does People-Centered Justice Look Like?” include:

Monday, February 5
Author discussion of Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial
Speaker: Benjamin Perrin, UBC Allard Law Professor 

Tuesday, February 6
The Intersection between Restorative Justice and Person-Centered Justice
Speaker: Dr. Alana Abramson, KPU Criminology Instructor, Trainer & Consultant

Bridging the Gap:  Access to Justice by Van and Boat
Speakers:
Ab Currie, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Canadian Forum on Civil Justice
Anne Fletcher, Founder and Legal Advocate, Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program
Moderator: Lindsay Frame, CBABC Access to Justice Committee / Litigation Associate, McCarthy Tetrault

Finding Justice: Challenges and Opportunities in BC’s Legal Aid Landscape
Speakers:
Aleem Bharmal, KC, Community Legal Assistance Society
Michael Bryant, CEO, Legal Aid BC
Wendy Jackson, Executive Director of Legal Access Policy Division, Ministry of Attorney General
Amanda Carling, CEO, BC First Nations Justice Council
Moderator: Lee Nevens, First Vice President, Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch

Wednesday, February 7
Legal Education and Professional Competencies: What the Access to Justice Lawyer Needs to Know
Speakers:
Hon. Associate Chief Justice Susan Wishart, BC Provincial Court
Robert Lapper, KC, UVic Law Professor
Chris Heslinga, Director, UVic Law Centre

Thursday, February 8
Designing a Person-Centred Family Justice System
Speakers: TBA

Friday, February 9
Gendered Aspects of Legal Aid
Speakers:
Lindsay Tedds, Associate Professor, Economics, University of Calgary
Gillian Petit, Senior Researcher, Economics, University of Calgary
Monique Pongracic-Speier, KC, Partner, Ethos Law

Youth Legal Needs and the Current Youth-Service Landscape in BC
Speakers:
Rachel Getz, first year law student at Thompson Rivers University School of Law
Avneet Sandhu, first year law student at the University of Victoria School of Law
Keegan Nicol, first year law student at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law
Tina Parbhakar, Strategic Coordinator, Access to Justice BC

Youth Leaders in Law Virtual Speed Networking with Alberta & BC Law Students

The full Access to Justice Week BC schedule is available online here: https://accesstojusticebc.ca/a2jweekbc/.

Access to Justice Week in Alberta is February 5-9, 2024

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Save the date for Alberta’s Access to Justice Week. From February 5-9, 2024, justice sector members and stakeholders will gather to discuss access-to-justice issues impacting Albertans. While planning is still underway, events could include report launches, keynote lectures, fundraisers, conferences or mini-conferences, townhalls and more.

The theme of Alberta’s Access to Justice Week 2024 is Promoting Pro Bono. Scheduled events currently include: “Making the Most of Pro Bono”, presented by the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch on February 6, “Collaborative Approaches to Access to Justice: Exploring the Benefits of Articling Students Volunteering in Pro Bono Clinics”, presented by Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC) on February 8, and “A Conversation with Mickey Amery, Alberta Minister of Justice”, presented by the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch on February 9.

For more information, visit: https://www.albertaaccesstojustice.com/.

To volunteer, discuss an event idea, or to get involved in other ways, visit: https://www.albertaaccesstojustice.com/about.html. Use #A2JWeekCan to follow the conversation on social media.

Access to Justice Organizations Collaborating on Person-Centred Justice, Change & Connection Workshop

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The Access to Justice Centre for Excellence at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law (ACE) and McGill University’s Faculty of Law in collaboration with the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) and CREATE Justice at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law will be hosting a hybrid workshop on Person-Centred Justice, Change, and Connection at McGill University’s Faculty of Law from May 24-25, 2024 (the 2024 PCJ Workshop). Proposals are welcome from researchers, graduate students, and practitioners on themes related to access to justice and person-centred justice, including works and projects which challenge or expand understandings of the field through empirical, critical, or pluralistic lenses. The deadline to submit proposals is January 19, 2024.

The 2024 PCJ Workshop will build on the excellent discussions and scholarly exchanges that took place at the inaugural Person-Centred Justice workshop held at York University on May 29, 2023 and subsequent (forthcoming 2024) contributions to a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Law and Society on Person-Centred Justice. The workshop will be an opportunity to build connections between scholars, researchers, practitioners and other access to justice stakeholders across Canada; it will also facilitate the development of scholarly works for publication in journals that accept submissions on the themes of access to justice and person-centred justice such as the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice (see submission guidelines). Finally, the 2024 PCJ Workshop will also support preparation for the upcoming International Access to Justice Forum to be held in Toronto in fall of 2024 in a friendly, collaborative and supportive atmosphere.

The 2024 PCJ Workshop will be held in a fully hybrid format, with a focus on virtual presenters on May 24th and in-person presenters on May 25th. Presenters will be arranged into panels based on themes that emerge from submissions to encourage new connections. In support of the 2024 PCJ Workshop, ACE and its partners are seeking the support of SSHRC through a Connections Grant. If ACE and its partners are successful in gaining Connections Grant funding, financial support will be available to:

  1. Provide travel support funding for participants that express a need for funding to attend in- person, such as graduate students and practitioners – priority will be given to those who apply by January 10, 2024;
  2. Provide simultaneous and documentary English/French translation to support bilingual proceedings at the 2024 PCJ Workshop; and
  3. Provide guidance and support for the publication and dissemination of research through avenues such as blog posts, social media channels, and scholarly journals.

Those interested in submitting an abstract (maximum 250 words) are asked to fill out the following online form by January 19, 2024: English Version | Version française

Inquiries about the event can be directed to: kaitlyncumming@gmail.com

Download a copy of the Call for Proposals here: https://ajrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/call-for-proposals-appel-a-participation-2024-pcj-workshop.pdf.

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Appel à propositions
Atelier hybride sur la justice axée sur la personne, le changement et les connexions Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill | 24 et 25 mai 2024

Le Centre d’excellence pour l’accès à la justice de la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Victoria (ACE) et la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill en collaboration avec le Forum canadien sur la justice civile (FCJC) et CREATE Justice du Collège de droit de l’Université de Saskatchewan, a le plaisir d’annoncer qu’il organisera un atelier hybride sur la justice axée sur la personne, le changement et les connexions à la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill les 24 et 25 mai 2024 (l’atelier JAP 2024). Nous invitons les chercheuses et chercheurs, les étudiant·es aux cycles supérieurs et les praticien·ne·s à soumettre des propositions sur des thèmes liés à l’accès à la justice et à la justice axée sur la personne, y compris des travaux et des projets qui remettent en question ou élargissent la compréhension du domaine à l’aide d’approches empiriques, critiques ou pluralistes. La date limite de soumission des propositions est le 19 janvier 2024.

L’atelier JAP 2024 construira sur le fondement des excellentes discussions et des échanges scientifiques qui ont eu lieu lors de l’atelier inaugural sur la justice axée sur la personne qui s’est tenu à l’Université York le 29 mai 2023 et sur les contributions ultérieures (dont la publication est à venir en 2024) à un numéro spécial de la Revue canadienne droit et société portant sur la justice axée sur la personne. L’atelier sera l’occasion d’établir des liens entre les universitaires, les chercheuses et chercheurs, les praticien·ne·s et d’autres acteurs de l’accès à la justice de partout au Canada; il facilitera également l’élaboration de travaux universitaires destinés à être publiés dans des revues qui acceptent des articles sur les thèmes de l’accès à la justice et de la justice axée sur la personne, telles que le Recueil annuel de Windsor d’accès à la justice (voir leurs lignes directrices pour les soumissions). Enfin, l’atelier JAP 2024 soutiendra également, dans une atmosphère amicale, de collaboration et de soutien, les préparatifs en vue du Forum international sur l’accès à la justice qui se tiendra à Toronto en automne 2024.

L’atelier JAP 2024 se déroulera de façon entièrement hybride, avec un accent sur les présentateurs virtuels le 24 mai et sur les présentateurs en personne le 25 mai. Les présentateurs seront répartis en panels en fonction des thèmes qui émergeront des soumissions afin d’encourager de nouvelles connexions. Pour soutenir l’atelier JAP 2024, ACE et ses partenaires sollicitent présentement le soutien du CRSH par le biais d’une Subvention Connexion. Si ACE et ses partenaires réussissent à obtenir ce financement, un soutien financier sera disponible pour :

  1. Fournir du financement pour les déplacements des participant·es qui en expriment le besoin pour assister à l’atelier en personne, tels que les étudiant·es aux cycles supérieurs et les praticien·ne·s – La priorité sera donnée à ceux qui auront déposé leur soumission avant le 10 janvier 2024;
  2. Fournir une traduction simultanée et documentaire de l’anglais au français et vice-versa, afin de permettre que l’atelier JAP 2024 se déroule dans les deux langues; et
  3. Fournir des conseils aux participant·es en soutenant la publication et la diffusion de la recherche par des moyens tels que des articles de blog, des médias sociaux et des revues académiques.

Les personnes intéressées à soumettre un résumé de leur contribution (250 mots maximum) sont priées de remplir le formulaire électronique suivant avant le 19 janvier 2024 : Version française | English Version

Les questions concernant l’événement peuvent être adressées à: kaitlyncumming@gmail.com

Alberta, Ontario Announce Steps to Enhance Access to Justice

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Alberta

On December 1st, Alberta’s government announced a new Family Justice Strategy aimed at making it easier for Albertans to address family court matters. The news release indicates that, “the new Family Justice Strategy will help align services in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, so that Albertans can access the same types of services no matter which court they attend”.

The provincial government’s $5 million investment in the Family Justice Strategy will expand pre-court services in Edmonton and Calgary, including alternative dispute resolution, family court counsellors, and parenting interventions. In addition, the government is introducing a Family Resolution Hub online tool to provide information for Albertans dealing with family law matters.

Information about Alberta’s investment in increasing access to family justice services is available in English here: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=893927C5CE690-FFA2-A2F0-ACF90115EB8E62CE

Ontario

Ontario’s government is proposing new legislation which, if passed, would seek to make it easier for victims of crime to sue an offender for emotional distress, protect children and youth from cannabis, enhance community safety, and make court and government operations more efficient.

The Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2023 is among several legislative changes being proposed by the provincial government. Changes to the Courts of Justice Act and other statutes are aimed at improving court efficiencies and ensuring court, jury and administrative procedures and operations are clearer and more accessible.

The press release on the Ontario government’s Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2023 is available in English here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/1003902/enhancing-access-to-justice-act-2023.

Information about the proposed Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2023 is available in French here: https://news.ontario.ca/fr/backgrounder/1003902/loi-de-2023-visant-a-ameliorer-lacces-a-la-justice.