This June, the Ontario government implemented its funding cuts to legal aid, impacting several sectors of the legal community. Groups affected ranged from individuals with precarious immigration status, to vulnerable members of communities, to clinics who provide legal services or necessities such as food and shelter to low-income neighbourhoods. This piece discusses the severe impacts of the provincial cuts on one clinic in particular: Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS).
Founded in 1971, PCLS provides legal information, advice, and legal representation to vulnerable groups. Prior to this year’s legal aid cuts, PCLS was looking to relocate in response to a problem with their existing lease agreement. PCLS currently operates in two locations: the basement of St. Mark’s Church and an office space on 55 University Avenue, both of which are spaces insufficient for PCLS staff to provide services.
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) agreed to help fund Parkdale’s new space. Once the cuts were implemented, however, LAO was in no place to provide financial aid to Parkdale, leaving the clinic stranded. The $1 million deficit in funding has created major setbacks for the clinic.
Who was most impacted? After speaking to Erin Sobat, a placement student at PCLS, it became evident that, after the clinic introduced a restructuring plan, its staff had been decimated. PCLS lost almost half of its frontline workers – a reduction from 22 workers to 14 workers spread across both locations. The clinic lost its receptionist and some staff who used to manage the administrative flow and initial client interactions of the organization. This forces PCLS students and staff to complete both administrative and legal duties, thus impacting how effectively the clinic can provide legal services to its clients.
In addition, many clients were deeply affected by the relocation of the clinic. There are now accessibility issues as clients who cope with mental illness or have mobility issues are unable to travel to one of the two new locations in order to meet their assigned caseworker.
The most glaring question is: what happens now? It is important to note that the federal government’s plans to alleviate the cuts by the provincial government does not concern clinics like PCLS. The clinic, which provides legal aid services to those eligible based on income levels, emphasizes that “[t]enants, low-wage workers, people with disabilities, immigrants, and refugees who rely on upon community legal clinics will not be assisted by the new federal funding”. The clinic will continue to do its best to provide effective legal services given its current means.
The question remains: why were the legal aid cuts allocated in such a manner that PCLS, a clinic known for its advocacy for vulnerable communities and for its community outreach work, suffered one of the steepest budget cuts?