Through the support of my employer, I have been able to work directly with the Northwest Territories only Legal Outreach Clinic. At the clinic, we provide legal advice and information on a consultative and pro bono basis to individuals who, by either reason of income or subject matter, are not otherwise eligible for legal aid, yet, are still unable to retain a lawyer.
We primarily deal with poverty law issues in both the communities and at our clinic in Yellowknife. Poverty law generally describes the broad areas of legal needs that typically arise by virtue of an individual’s or a group’s poverty. Often these legal needs include housing law (e.g. landlord/tenant); income-maintenance law (e.g. employment insurance, Canada Pension Plan, social assistance and workers’ compensation); work-related issues (e.g. employment standards and occupational health and safety); human rights and consumer/debt problems.
We provide this service on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis every Tuesday afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. out of our Yellowknife office. Further, in recognition of the acute access to justice issues facing individuals and groups living outside of the capital, we also take phone call appointments during these hours and even undertake personal visits to other communities when our scheduling permits. For instance, I will be attending the small hamlet of Kakisa – population 45 – in the coming week. We operate on the understanding that access to justice is a fundamental human right. If someone in our territory has a legal problem, it is unacceptable for them to be left with nowhere to turn – regardless of their community and economic background.