Correctional Facilities Still Open for Business
Ontario Premier, Doug Ford has announced new plans this Friday to “reinvigorate and maintain efficient standards” in Legal Aid Ontario.
This announcement follows a lengthy call to action among members of the legal community once the Premier announced major cuts to Legal Aid Ontario. In April, the Ford government abruptly decided to cut 30 percent of funding – approximately $133 million – to Legal Aid Ontario as part of its new budget. This is the largest setback in the organization’s 20-year history and took place months after the annual budget had been finalized. .
The Office of the Premier released a press statement in response to the disdain and confusion. In the statement, the purpose of the cuts were outlined as “effective and practical ways to continue to provide legal services without any money.”
In partnership with previous effective projects from the Ford government, legal aid services will now be provided in conjunction with the “buck a beer” initiative. That is, candidates for legal assistance who have had a run-in with the law while inebriated on beer sold for one dollar (before taxes) will be given higher priority and shorter wait-periods for access to legal services. In a new attempt to reignite the “buck a beer” campaign, Ford continues to demonstrate to those seeking legal aid in Ontario that you really do get what you pay for.
The Office of the Premier offered additional ways in which legal clinics serving the wider population would be cutting costs to make up for the losses in their budget. Expensive office real estate would easily be substituted with the parking spot next to the dumpster behind the local Tim Horton’s. Expensive and timely legal procedures would be replaced with “alternative” Alternative Dispute Resolution strategies, such as consulting a magic eight ball or reading the daily horoscope. Clinics were also instructed to search for “desperate” employees such as former members of the Toronto City Council and other prominent former-public service officials. Recent rumours suggested that former Minister for Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould was tapped for a position, but sources close to both parties have denied that. Ms. Wilson-Raybould was not available for comment.
Implementation of these new practices will begin shortly. In the meantime, questions about the legitimacy of the cuts to legal aid still arise. One official in the Office of the Premier explained how it managed to justify such large setbacks in funding legal aid: “It’s all about supply and demand. There is a high demand to cut taxes for the upper class, so that should take priority. The great thing is, the demand for legal aid will go down too, because citizens won’t know to seek legal counsel in the first place. Why do you think we cut funding to Ontario’s education?”