Category Alberta

Public Legal Education Association of Canada Annual Conference Takes Place October 25–26, 2023

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The Public Legal Education Association of Canada (PLEAC), the national umbrella organization for public legal education and information (PLEI) groups across Canada, will hold their annual conference this year in Toronto from October 25th to 26th.

The conference will include workshops, plenaries, and townhall sessions on a range of topics, including: “The Role of Community Workers and Other Trusted Helpers in the Justice Ecosystem”, “Artificial Intelligence: How to Harness it (for good) for Public Legal Education”, and “Advocating for Better Justice: Does Public Legal Education Have a Role?”

Attendance is capped at 150 people.

To learn more about the conference, how to register, conference fees and more, visit the PLEAC website here: https://www.pleac-aceij.ca/our-work/annual-conference/.

Women and Gender Equality Canada Publishes Two Calls for Proposals

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Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) has two open calls for proposals. WAGE invites non-for-profit organizations, women’s organizations, Indigenous women’s organizations, or other equality-seeking organizations in Canada with a mandate to advance women’s equality to submit a proposal for a capacity-building or systemic change project.

Under Call 1 – the Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund – WAGE seeks to support projects that address barriers to women’s success, change systems to improve women’s economic security and prosperity, and/or increase women’s representation.

Under Call 2 – Women’s Capacity Fund – WAGE welcomes proposals for projects that seek to develop the long-term capacity of women’s and Indigenous women’s organizations.

The submission deadline is November 3, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. pacific time. Eligible organizations can apply to one call.

For information on eligibility requirements or more information about the calls, please visit the WAGE website here: https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/funding/funding-programs/women-economic-leadership-opportunities-capacity-funds/about.html.

Women in Law Reflect on Challenges, Triumphs, and Regrets in New Book

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A new collection, edited by Beth Bilson (University of Saskatchewan, College of Law), Leah Howie (Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan), and Brea Lowenberger (Saskatchewan’s Access to Justice Coordinator), presents the experiences of 18 women navigating law school and legal careers. Contributors – who are from different generations and different areas of law – discuss various issues they have faced in their journey in law and the impacts of gender-based and race-based discrimination, sexual orientation, and disability in their careers.

The foreword for this collection is written by The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin.

Creating a Seat at the Table: Reflections from Women in Law is available for pre-order: https://uofrpress.ca/Books/C/Creating-a-Seat-at-the-Table.

New Report Examines Perceptions of Canada’s Justice System and Experiences of Discrimination among Chinese People in Canada

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According to a new report published by Statistics Canada, Chinese people experience different forms of discrimination in Canada, including discrimination based on: race or skin colour (22%), ethnicity or culture (17%), language (11%), physical appearance (5.1%), sex (4.3%), age (3.7%) and gender identity or expression (1.4%).

A majority of Chinese people surveyed for the General Social Survey on Canadians’ Safety in 2019 reported significant or some confidence in the police (85%). However, compared to other racialized and non-racialized groups, Chinese people were less likely to rate the police positively for every indicator of police performance included in the survey, and their overall confidence in the police is lower than that of the non-racialized population (92%). The report also cites findings from the Canadian Legal Problems Survey (CLPS) revealing that, within the 3-year reference period of the CLPS, approximately 16% of Chinese people experienced at least one legal problem or dispute they considered serious or difficult to address. This is compared to 21% of other racialized populations who experienced serious and difficult-to-resolve legal problems for the same period.

The diverse insights from the Experiences of Discrimination in Daily Life among Chinese People in Canada, and their Perceptions of and Experiences with the Police and the Justice System report are available on the Statistics Canada website in English here: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2023001/article/00005-eng.htm.

Expériences de discrimination dans la vie quotidienne des personnes chinoises au Canada, et expériences et perceptions de celles-ci relatives à la police et au système de justice est disponsible en français ici : https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2023001/article/00005-fra.htm.

The report is written by Shana Conroy.

Report Presents Findings on Legal Needs in Alberta

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A recent report from the Alberta Law Foundation presents findings from a community-based legal needs assessment in the province. The 2022-23 Alberta Legal Needs Assessment: What We Learned So Far report seeks to “increase understanding of legal needs in Alberta while encouraging further dialogue and exploration of the subject matter”. The report identifies populations and areas of legal need in Alberta and strategies to address challenges. Specifically, the report highlights:

  • Indigenous People
  • Newcomers
  • Youth
  • Seniors
  • Landlord & Tenant Disputes
  • Discrimination
  • Coordination
  • Data Collection & Evaluation
  • Services at the Courthouse
  • Remote Communities
  • Restorative Justice
  • Legal Tech

Findings in the report derive from several sources, including:

  • 2022 Bridging the Gaps Legal Needs Survey
  • Self-Represented Litigants Needs Survey
  • Canadian Legal Problems Survey (2021)
  • Data from legal clinics and Legal Aid Alberta

The 2022-23 Alberta Legal Needs Assessment: What We Learned So Far report was written by Flora Stevenson, LL.M. It is available on the Alberta Law Foundation website here: http://albertalawfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2022-23-AB-Legal-Needs-Assessment-July-2023.pdf.

Canadian Association of Black Lawyers Launches First-of-its-kind Study Examining Black Lawyers’ Experiences in Canada

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The Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL), with support from The Counsel Network and the TD Ready Commitment, has launched a survey to gather information about “the work experiences, career paths, opportunities and challenges encountered by Black lawyers in Canada”. In an interview with Law360, the president of CABL, Kyle Elliott observed that the legal profession “hasn’t always done a good job of [collecting and sharing data]”, adding that this study will contribute demographic data and important insights to the overall understanding of inequities and inequalities in the legal profession.

The survey includes questions aimed at collecting data on the Black experience in the legal profession related to:

  • Job interviews
  • Work environments
  • Opportunities for advancement
  • Support from mentors/sponsorship
  • Experiences within law firms, government, public and private companies are all examined.

The survey will remain open until 31 July, 2023. To access the survey in English or French, visit: https://cabl.ca/the-survey-examining-the-black-lawyers-experience-in-canada-is-live/.

Report Examines Legal Problems Experienced by First Nations People Living Off Reserve, Métis, and Inuit Living in the Provinces

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A new report by the Centre for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships examines the types and prevalence of legal problems experienced by First Nations people living off reserve, Métis, and Inuit. The 19 problems and disputes considered in the research are based on the serious problems identified in the 2021 Canadian Legal Problems Survey (CLPS).

Among the findings, the report reveals that:

  • A higher percentage of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit experienced a serious legal problem in the past three years than non-racialized and non-Indigenous people
  • First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit experienced much higher rates of almost all 19 legal problem types than non-racialized and non-Indigenous people
  • Indigenous peoples experience problems related to discrimination at rates that are almost 2.5 times that of non-racialized/non-Indigenous people

Serious problems or disputes experienced by First Nations people living off reserve, Métis, and Inuit living in the provinces is co-authored by Tristan Marshall and Mohan B. Kumar. It is available on the Statistics Canada website in English here: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/41-20-0002/412000022023003-eng.htm.

Problèmes ou conflits graves vécus par les personnes des Premières Nations vivant hors réserve, les Métis et les Inuit vivant dans les provinces est disponible en français ici : https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/41-20-0002/412000022023003-fra.htm.

National Self-Represented Litigants Project Seeking Feedback on Virtual Hearings

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The National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP), an organization that works to enhance the responsiveness of the Canadian justice system to self-represented litigants, is seeking feedback from self-represented persons on their experience in virtual hearings.

Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, courts and tribunals in Canada have increasingly shifted toward virtual processes, replacing many in-person court hearings with meetings via Zoom, Teams, etc. The National Self-Represented Litigants Project is conducting research aimed at understanding self-represented litigants’ experiences with virtual hearings in all legal environments (family, civil, criminal, tribunal). The survey is open to self-represented litigants anywhere in Canada. The survey is anonymous and will take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete.

The survey is available in English here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C68ZLYP.

Ce sondage anonyme est disponible en français ici : https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZDXDMJH.

This research is funded by the McLachlin Fund.

Statistics Canada Launches Municipal and Local Data Portal

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Statistics Canada – in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities – announced the launch of the Centre for Municipal and Local Data (CMLD) portal.

The CMLD aims to serve as a clearinghouse for consistent and comparable municipal data, while “empower[ing] municipalities through timely, trusted and reliable data.”

The portal includes:

  • a data integration and visualisation tool which displays a set of key indicators geographically;
  • a data catalogue of statistics and indicators relevant to municipalities, such as the integration of census data, as well as housing, health and crime statistics;
  • a municipal mapping function;
  • a municipal financial and socioeconomic dashboard which currently allows for comparisons across 35 Canadian cities on standard financial indicators, including those relating to infrastructure spending, as well as allowing integration of selected socioeconomic indicators

Statistics Canada and the FCM invite stakeholders and the public to check the portal regularly as new data and features will continue to be added.

The recently launched Centre for Municipal and Local Data can be accessed online at: https://www159.statcan.gc.ca/index-eng.htm.

Some details about the CMLD in this post were copied from a news release from Statistics Canada’s Stakeholder Relations and Engagement Division.

Canadian Government Seeking Input on Immigration System

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The Canadian government is seeking input on the future of Canada’s immigration system. Until April 2023, the government is engaging stakeholders across Canada to collect feedback on:

  • How Canada’s immigration system can better support Canada’s future economic and social goals;
  • What works about the current immigration system;
  • Changes that would make the current system more successful, and milestones for future successes; and,
  • How Canada can best meet the needs of newcomers

Members of the public can share their views via a 15-minute online survey, available in French and English: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/canada-future-immigration-system.html.

The survey closes on April 27, 2023.