A win for legal clinics in Ontario.
The provincial government says funding for them will remain as they are now for the next fiscal year.
Co-chair of the Association of Community Legal Clinics Trudy McCormick says that is good news.
“However, we still need to work with the government and with Legal Aid Ontario to repair some of the damage that was done by the cuts that we suffered this year,” says McCormick.
Legal aid clinics, like the Northwest Community Legal Clinic, saw its funding slashed earlier this year after a 30 per cent cut to Legal Aid Ontario.
The province is also planning to further protect and strengthen legal clinics.
Attorney General Doug Downey says that will come with amendments to the Legal Services Act.
McCormick says that means continued local control for the Northwest Community Legal Clinic.
“The clinic will continue to exist as a local organization governed by a local board of directors and that we can assess the needs in our communities and deliver appropriate services for our communities.”
McCormick says there were concerns services would become centrally mandated in Toronto, taking away the ability to tailor services to meet local needs.